Icy Wrath
by MangoLimePie
Summary: Seventeen year old Katsu Aiko nearly didn't get to go on his journey. But when the egg that he'd been incubating hatched a shiny Rufflet, that missed chance turned right around into his favor. After learning the other three starters had been taken, he was glad that Rufflet hatched. Now, with the aid of his childhood friend Hugh, he is able to set off on a wild and crazy adventure!
1. Chapter 1

**Aloha Everyone! Mango here with a new fanfic. So I decided to do my own rendition of the Black and White series. Only...I'm doing BW2. There will be OC's of my own creation but the storyline will be pretty much how the game usually goes save for my usual twists here and there. Those of you who like my other fanfic, The Flames of Revolution, it will still be continued. I am taking advantage of this little time window that I have today in order to write a few chapters of this new one. . Don't expect anymore until Thursday. So, that said...let's roll!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 1: Saved By The Bird!**

It was an early autumn morning in Asperita City. Cheren, the town's Gym Leader was standing outside his new gym, simply looking at it for the moment. He hadn't been the new leader for that long. What was it, a few days? He still needed to get used to it. He wasn't using his usual team which was a bit frustrating for him. Juniper said that he was the perfect candidate for it though. He'd have to deal with it he supposed. A sigh left his lips as he began to walk back inside the building, knowing that at some point there would be a challenger, or two heading his way. He wasn't sure when that would be.

Just about a block or so away from it, a young woman stood beneath a tree. Its leaves were starting to turn that beautiful golden shade and some of the leaves were even beginning to show hints of crimson. It was a beautiful time of year. The young woman stood around 5'9" and wore a white dress shirt that was buttoned up professionally. She wore a brown skirt to match as well as heels. Her auburn locks were done up in a bun and pins were in her hair to keep it in that state. She had light blue eyes and glasses. She was writing in a journal of sorts when her X-Transceiver went off. The woman paused what she was doing and looked down at the device to see that it was none other than her friend, Aria Juniper.

A smile tugged at the woman's lips as she opened up the device and pulled her face up on the screen.

"Good morning Jennifer, is everything going well?" Professor Juniper inquired curiously, glancing at the notebook Jennifer had in her hand.

"Why, Aria Juniper, it's good to hear from you. Yes, all is well over here. Autumn is definitely setting in that's for sure. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Jennifer questioned.

"Well, it's about your son, Katsu Akio. Do you remember when I said he'd be able to start his journey soon?" Juniper asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Yes, I do remember that, you said you had three Pokemon lined up for him to choose from. Why? Did something happen?" Jennifer wondered.

Juniper sweat-dropped, rubbing the side of her face with a cloth as she glanced at her assistant Bianca. She was supposed to be sent to Asperita City.

"Well...kind of. You see, three newly registered trainers came in earlier today and well...they sort of...took the new Pokemon which means we don't really...have any..." Juniper declared nervously.

"We are so sorry!" Bianca said in an over apologetic manner.

"I see, well...that is disappointing. Katsu won't be very happy to hear about that. He's been looking forward to this for a long time now. He wasn't able to start his journey when he wanted to before because he felt he wasn't quite ready yet. And now that he is...well, ugh...this is going to be difficult," Jennifer said, face-palming as she spoke.

"Well, I will try to see what I can do...we might be able to get a new shipment in within the next week. It will take a while though...I'm really sorry about this Jennifer," Juniper sighed.

 **X-X-X**

Seventeen year old Katsu Aiko sat at his desk with a carving knife, working on the finishing touches to his bokken. It was a wooden practice sword he'd created out of the strongest wood he could find. It had taken him months to get just the right shape. Katsu was always into the martial arts as well as the sword play aspect of it. He'd become quite proficient with a blade. Katsu had straight auburn hair that reached his shoulders. He often tied it into a ponytail whenever it got in his way. He had a few bangs that covered his face at times, but those were dealt with regularly. His eyes were sky blue, like his mother's. He was still in his pajamas which had Salamence and Flygon on them. He liked dragon types and had spent time watching those who used them train.

'Almost done...' Katsu thought as he continued carving his blade.

On the table near him, in an incubator, was an egg of considerable size. It had been given to him by his mother as an early birthday present as she had to go away for about a month on a business trip and wouldn't return for a while. She had only recently gotten back. It was September 15th, Katsu's birthday. Jennifer didn't know what type of egg it was. She figured they'd find out when it hatched. Katsu glanced over at the egg, curiosity fixated on his features as he observed it.

'This egg has been here for nearly a month...I've been keeping it warm for the longest time. I'd even take it with me whenever I ran errands. So why hasn't it hatched yet?' Katsu wondered, reaching out to gently touch the egg.

It was warm, and as strange as this was, he could feel a heartbeat from within. He could also feel a strange energy building up within the contents of the egg. He quirked a brow at this feeling, as it wasn't something he was entirely used to. He frowned and turned away from the egg, continuing to work on his bokken. In front of him was a picture of his parents. His father worked out in Kanto and Johto so he was rarely home at times. He did archeology and worked with several scientists to dig up fossils. Katsu was fortunate to have both his parents in the picture. His mother worked in the filming industry with a little side business of selling natural illness remedies. They all had busy lives, and yet here was Katsu, still at home with little else to do. He wanted to go on a journey. His father had done so as well as his mother. They said it was unlike anything they'd ever experienced and hoped that he would be able to start a journey of his own soon.

That chance seemed as though it would be out of reach this time around. He already had his trainer registration forms filled out and ready to hand in. His mother said that Professor Juniper would be sending an assistant to give him the needed items for him to start his journey. He didn't know it yet, but the news that he wouldn't be able to begin as he'd hoped would reach him shortly.

 **X-X-X**

"I suppose I should tell him then...it's not going to be the easiest thing in the world. He's been hounding me about this for months now. We only just got the registration forms and he wasted no time filling those out. I don't know how to tell him that it will be delayed," Jennifer sighed.

"Well...look at it this way. He will at least get to start in about a week or two. That's not so bad right? I mean...sure it's later than he hoped but at least he'll get to go," Juniper said with a somber expression.

"I understand...well, would he at least be able to get a pokedex? This way he'll know that his journey will start and it will give him something to do while he waits. It'll be like compensation until he receives his first Pokemon, Jennifer said with a soft smile.

"Great idea Jennifer! That just might work. Bianca, would you mind going to Asperita City now? Bring the pokedex to Katsu Aiko, you'll know him when you see him. He looks practically like his mother," Juniper smiled.

"Alright, I'll get right on it!" Bianca said happily, grabbing the pokedex eagerly, so eagerly that she didn't realize she already had one in her bag. She soon left the lab and was on her way.

"Thank you so much Aria, I can't tell you how much relief this brings me..." Jennifer smiled.

 **X-X-X**

A sigh escaped Katsu's lips as he finished up his bokken. The wooden practice sword was carved smoothly to perfection. There wasn't a single splinter sticking out which was how he liked it. He'd already made the strap for it which was on the desk next to the incubator. As he reached for it, he saw the egg begin to twitch. He blinked at this and scooted closer to it. Before he knew it, the egg began to glow and crack. Katu's eyes grew wide as he saw two taloned feet smash through the bottom of the egg. Next, a pair of wings burst from the egg along with the rest of the body of the Pokemon. It had a brown body with a large, white plume of feathers which covered its head. The Pokemon had three tail feathers and a feathery ruff that went past its neck. This ruff covered part of the upper body. The face was also brown with five pointed tips which looked like a crown or mask. There was a large feather that extended from its forehead with a red lower half and white on the upper.

The beak of the Pokemon was short yet wide, and it had large black eyes. The Pokemon resembled that of an eaglet. It was, in fact, a shiny Rufflet. Katsu's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the shimmer of its feathers. Rufflet looked at Katsu with mild interest. And as luck would have it, like all birds and newborns do when they see a person or something for the first time, its primal instinct was to designate that individual as their mother/parental figure. Rufflet immediately flew onto Katsu's right shoulder and perched there.

Katsu didn't know what to make of this. He was still staring at his new companion. His first companion. The Rufflet nipped playfully at his ear and cawed happily. Katsu had read about the behaviour of birds and the fact that they latch on to whatever they see first when they hatch. It wasn't the fact that he had a Rufflet that astonished him. It was the fact that he had a Pokemon at all. Rufflet looked at his new parental figure with curiosity. Katsu didn't look like a bird, nor did he have any feathers. But the fact remained that he hatched in Katsu's room and that was proof enough for him to come to the conclusion that Katsu was a parent to him.

"Well...uh...hello...whatever you are..." Katsu said as he reached up and gently stroked Rufflet's feathers who cooed in appreciation.

'This is incredible...I can't believe I've got a Pokemon now. Well...I'll have two once I set out on my journey, that will give me a good head start...but wow this is so cool! But what exactly is this? It must be rare considering I've never come across it when I'd be out playing with other Pokemon. I wonder...' Katsu thought as he glanced at the bird.

A knock came at Katsu's door, causing him to turn away from his desk.

"Come in!" Katsu called out.

"Hey...Katsu, I'm talking to Juniper right now and sh-"

"Something wrong mom?" Katsu wondered, blinking as he saw the surprised look on his mother's face.

"Uh...Aria...you may want to have a look at this!" Jennifer stated, the tone in her voice completely changing.

"What is it?" Juniper asked as the screen was suddenly shifted over to Katsu who was sitting in his chair with a Rufflet on his shoulder.

"Th-that's a Rufflet! Holy Arceus those are rare! And is that...is that a shiny?! Oh. My. Arceus! Looks like we have a change of plans Jennifer." Juniper glanced over at Katsu with a bright smile.

"Uh, Mom? What's going on?" Katsu wondered, tilting his head curiously.

"Well, number one..." Jennifer stated, leaning down to kiss Katsu's cheek a few times before pulling back.

"Happy birthday. Number two...Aria?"

"It looks like you'll be able to go on your journey after all Katsu," Juniper smiled.

"What do you mean by 'after all?' Wasn't I already going on it?" Katsu inquired, raising a brow.

"Well...yes, and almost no...you see, three trainers, one about your age and two about three years younger, just started their journey and already took the three we had in reserve for you to choose from. They came first and I couldn't say no. We were about to tell you that your journey wouldn't start for another week, but now that you have Rufflet...you can start now! Happy birthday by the way," Juniper laughed.

"Wait, you mean if Rufflet didn't hatch I wouldn't be able to go?!" Katsu said in alarm.

"Well...yeah, that's essentially what would have happened, you would have been delayed a week. But none of that matters now. You are able to go and that's that," Juniper smiled.

Katsu raised a brow and looked over at Rufflet who was looking curiously at the screen. What was this strange device, and how come there was a person trapped inside of it? Those thoughts and more crossed the curious little eaglet's mind as he sat on his father's shoulder. What? Katsu hatched him didn't he? A sigh of relief expelled from Katsu's lips as he looked over at his mother.

"So...I can go hand in my registration forms now?" Katsu inquried, getting a nod from his mother.

"Thank Arceus, it's about time!" Katsu said as he rushed to his closet to find what to wear.

"Now, remember Katsu, remember to pack light for travel. Also...use the air tight bags to keep a lot of clothes in. This way you won't have to worry about shoving so many in your bag. Also, pack clean underwear, shower supplies..."

"Mom...I know what to do, now could you please give me some privacy so I can get changed? I'm certain Juniper doesn't want to hear you lecture me on what to pack..." Katsu mumbled.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out here, this is your first journey and as your mother who has gone on one before you, I expect you to listen to my advice young man!" Jennifer stated firmly.

"Alright, I'll pack what I need, now can I please get changed?" Katsu inquired, parting the clothes hanging in his closet so he could figure out what to wear.

A sigh escaped Jennifer's lips as she shook her head. She turned to exit the room and closed it behind her.

"It's going to be tough, isn't it?" Juniper inquired.

"Yeah, it will be. He's always been so fascinated with going on an adventure. He's a bit of a thrill seeker and has an obsession with swords and martial arts. Some days I worry about his safety. I'm a little reluctant to let him go...but I know he'll never forgive me if I don't," Jennifer sighed.

"Well, this will be good for him. After all, if he's anything like you and your husband, he'll be able to manage on his own. I heard about your journeys, the two of you were spectacular trainers. Now it's his turn. Just let him go. He's old enough to take care of himself," Juniper smiled.

"I suppose you're right. And besides...we've got XTransceivers, so he won't be unreachable. Oh, I think he's coming downstairs right now, let's fill him in on what he needs to do." Jennifer turned towards the stairs to see Katsu stepping into the living room ready for his journey.

He wore a black and white hooded jacket with a pokeball symbol on the right hand side of it. He wore a black muscle shirt beneath it. He had on faded black jeans and wore sneakers of similar coloration to his jacket. Rufflet was on his shoulder and his backpack was strapped to his back along with his bokken. His hair was combed nicely so it didn't look like a disheveled mess.

"Well, don't you look handsome!" Jennifer smiled, getting a chuckle out of her son.

"Thanks Mom...I do what I can," Katsu said as he reached up and scratched Rufflet's feathers.

"Katsu, mind if I have your attention for a moment?" Juniper said, directing Katsu towards the XTransceiver.

"Oh, you're still in call?" Katsu inquired, though he should have figured this, considering Juniper and his mother were friends.

"Mhm, now, Katsu. My assistant Bianca is on her way to Asperita with a pokedex. She isn't quite aware that you have a Rufflet yet so this will come as a bit of a shock. She should be there by now so you should have no trouble finding her. She's got a big green hat on, its kind of hard to miss. She will give you your pokedex and a few pokeballs to start your journey, if she remembered to pack some..." Juniper said nervously.

"Thanks Professor, I'll keep a look out for her," Katsu said with a smirk.

He couldn't have been any happier than he was at this point. Feelings of sheer joy and excitement were rising inside of him like wild fire. He could barely contain his excitment. Rufflet seemed to resonate with this feeling as he too ruffled his feathers in a jubilent manner.

"I think that about settles it. Katsu, call me as soon as you have your pokedex. This way I'll be able to get things rolling on my end. Also...this may interest you, the Unova League. Don't forget to register for it so you can compete once you have all the badges. It'll be a fun experience for you," Juniper chuckled.

"Sure! That does sound like fun. I've watched several battles, though I never thought I'd get the chance to compete. Sounds like fun!" Katsu said excitedly.

"Well, sign up quickly. Make sure to take your forms to the Pokemon Center and get that straightened out. See you soon!" Juniper said as she winked out.

Katsu smiled softly as he looked up at his mother. She seemed a little sad for some reason, but he guessed that was normal.

"So...is this not the best birthday gift ever? You get to go on your very own journey. You sure have grown up fast...I...I wasn't sure when this day would come..." Jennifer sniffed, trying to blink back tears.

"Mom?"

"No, no, I'm okay Katsu. I'm just a bit of a crybaby that's all. I knew you'd have to leave the nest one day for your journey but I just...didn't expect it to be...well, you know..." Jennifer said tearfully.

"Hey...it's okay though, I know you'll do great. You've got your father's genes in you and mine...though it's his I'm more concerned about, he was, and is, rather reckless...just don't do anything rash okay?" Jennifer said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Don't worry Mom...I'll be fine. I've got Rufflet here now. He'll have my back, right buddy?" Katsu smiled.

Rufflet nipped his ear in reply, nuzzling his face affectionately before turning to look at Katsu's mother.

"See? Everything will be fine. Don't worry, I'll call you at least once a day so you know I'm okay. I don't want you worrying over me day and night..." Katsu said with a soft chuckle.

"Well, that I can live with. I expect a call at least once a day okay? Even if it's just to leave me a message. Also, don't forget to let your father know that you are heading out. I know he'll be proud of you," Jennifer said with a smile.

"I know he will too, well...I'm off. I'll call you soon..." Katsu grinned.

Jennifer leaned down to kiss Katsu's cheek one more time and hugged him close before letting him go.

"Be safe son, I'm serious, don't get into any trouble!" She called out after him as he walked out the door.

She sighed softly and shook her head, turning to head up to his room to make sure it was in order.

 **X-X-X**

"Hey! Katsu! Wait up!" A familiar voice called out to Katsu, causing him to turn around.

Katsu blinked and turned around only to see Hugh, a friend of his since childhood.

"What's up Hugh?" Katsu said as he turned around to greet his friend.

Hugh had spiky azure hair and wore a red and white zip up jacket with blue jeans to match. He had deep brown eyes as well and wore red and black shoes. By his side was his little sister.

"Hey, did you get a-oh...I guess you did. What Pokemon is that?" Hugh asked, bewildered by the presence of the eaglet on Katsu's shoulder.

"Eh? This is Rufflet. He hatched just this morning. He's also the reason I'm able to go on my journey now, speaking of which...I need to find Juniper's assistant," Katsu chuckled.

"I see, a journey huh? I was actually thinking about one myself. I'm registered and all, and I'm getting pretty bored around here. There are no trainers to battle! I'm seriously miffed here," Hugh grumbled.

"Well, wanna help me find Bianca? That's the name of the assistant...she's wearing a green cap so we can't miss her it seems," Katsu said as he looked down at Hugh's sister who was staring up at Rufflet.

"By the way, is that shiny?!" Hugh inquired, the thought having just clicked as he took a second look at Rufflet.

"Yep...I had the same reaction. So did Juniper and my Mom. I wasn't expecting it. Also, Rufflet I heard, are really rare so I got lucky I guess," Katsu laughed happily.

"Lucky, I've got my Oshawott that I raised from an egg. Looks like we both have Pokemon now...which brings me to why I wanted to catch up to you," Hugh said as his expression turned serious.

"Uh, what's that?"

"It's about Team Plasma..." Hugh said in a hushed voice. That name was a bit of a taboo as they had done something completely crazy several years ago.

"You mean that crazy organization that ravaged Unova a few years back?" Katsu inquired, tilting his head in confusion.

"Yeah, the very same. Listen, right now...I'm not strong enough, but I figure...if we journey together, train together...we'll be able to take them head on. I can never forgive those Team Plasma Trash for what they did five years ago. They stole my sister's Purrloin...the one my grandfather gave her as a gift. I want to get it back..." Hugh declared.

"I see...so that's what this is about. I already promised my mother I wouldn't get into anything dangerous though...especially not something of that magnitude..." Katsu sighed.

"I know your mother worries...and it would be wrong of me to ask this of you but you have to help me Katsu. They need to be brought down..." Hugh stated as he turned to look at his sister.

"Head on home sis...Mom said you need to get back in time for classes," Hugh said with a gentle smile.

"Big brother?" His sister piped up.

"Yeah?"

"Um...just remember...take good care of your Pokemon. I know you already know this but...well, it helps to be reminded...and be careful," she said as she turned to walk away.

"Don't worry, I'll have my partner Oshawott and of course, Katsu, right?" Hugh said, looking back at his childhood friend.

Katsu thought about it for a moment. He was always looking for ways to test his limitations and this seemed like the perfect way to do so. He glanced over at Rufflet for a moment who seemed to be staring intently at Hugh, as if to see if he was a threat to his parental figure. Sensing comradary betwixt the two, he felt no need to make any unnecessary strikes. Katsu shifted his gaze over to his blue haired friend with a smirk.

"Well, I know my mother would have a Miltank if I got myself into trouble...so I'll keep that on the down low unless I really need to tell her about it..." Katsu grinned.

"I knew I could count on you!" Hugh said as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Let's go get your pokedex then, we don't want to keep this Bianca girl waiting," Hugh stated.

 **X-X-X**

Bianca stood looking out over Outlook as it was Asperita's most famous spot.

"Wow! This is so beautiful, I'd never imagined it to be like this. This is so incredible!" Bianca squealed happily, looking over the beautiful scenery.

The variety of trees and colors she saw was astounding. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned her gaze to meet what appeared to be two young boys heading her way. Her emerald hues swept over them intently, studying them as she would two subjects in the lab.

"That must be Bianca..." Katsu whispered to Hugh as he saw the green cap.

"Yep...well, go ahead and get your pokedex so we can get going..."

Katsu nodded and headed towards Bianca, stopping in front of her with a smile.

"Hello there, isn't this a wonderful view?" Bianca said with a grin as she glanced over the Outlook with a smile.

"It is, I get to see this all the time, it never fails to impress me," Katsu replied.

"Oh, you live here?! That's great! Then you can probably help me. I'm looking for a Katsu Aiko...he's got long brown hair, dazzling sky blue eyes and...huh? That's odd, you look just like the description," Bianca said as she scratched her head.

"That's because I am Katsu."

Bianca rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Sorry about that, I guess I was so taken by the scenery that I didn't think to take that into consideration. So you're Katsu? And...is that, oh my Arceus it is! It's a shiny Rufflet! Oh wow, I've been looking for a Rufflet! Those little buggers are hard to find. Oh please, tell me how you got it!" Bianca pressed.

"Uh...I had the egg for about a month, and this morning it hatched. I took good care of it and it looks like luck was on my side," Katsu laughed.

"That is just remarkable! I have to take a picture of this, I can't believe it!" She squealed.

Bianca snapped a photo, causing Rufflet to squawk disapprovingly before glaring at Bianca.

"Easy Rufflet, don't get mad at her, she just wanted a picture that's all," Katsu chuckled, stroking the feathers of his friend lightly.

"There, now I have one for the lab. Now...what was I...oh yes!" She said, reaching into her pouch to pull out pokeballs and a pokedex.

"I wasn't expecting to give these to you right away since you weren't supposed to have a Pokemon yet, but since you have Rufflet you are able to go as planned," Bianca smiled.

"Awesome! Thanks Bianca," Katsu stated, taking the pokeballs and pokedex into his hands.

"Hey..." Hugh said as he walked up to Bianca who gave him a quizzical look.

"Who's this?" Bianca inquired.

"That's Hugh, he's my best friend. We've known each other since we were in diapers..."

"Pretty much, so uh...do you have another one of those pokedex things? I kinda want one too. I've been waiting to go on a journey of my own and well, I'm registered, I just need a pokedex," Hugh said with a slight laugh.

"I see, well, it just so happens that in my haste to leave I grabbed an extra one. So here you go," Bianca said with a giggle, handing it to Hugh.

"Thanks," Hugh said, pocketing the device.

"Hmmm...you know what? Why don't the two of you have a battle?! Won't that be fun? It's a test to see how well you two know your Pokemon. It'll be fun!" Bianca chirped.

"A battle, with you Hugh? Sounds like a challenge...you have a bit of a leg up on me though but that's not going to get me down," Katsu grinned.

"I hope you're ready for this Katsu, I've raised this Oshwatt from an egg and he's pretty strong. If you think you're up for the challenge than bring it on!" Hugh said, throwing Oshawott onto the platform.

"Ready Rufflet? It's our first battle so let's give it everything we've got?" Katsu said with a smile.

"But first...I need to catch you...so hold still for a sec okay?" Katsu said as he picked up a pokeball and tapped the mechanism on it to enlarge the ball. He then tapped Rufflet on the beak who made no move to protest. A red light engulfed him, causing the ball to twitch after absorbing him. The ball twitched a second more and then stopped.

Katsu picked up the ball and released Rufflet once more. Rufflet promptly flew overhead and hovered above Oshawott.

"Now...let's see what you can do..." Katsu said as he picked up his pokedex and aimed it at Rufflet.

 **"Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokemon. Rufflet will challenge anything, no matter how strong the opponent may be. This is how they train to become stronger. They are able to break berries open with their beaks no matter how tough they may seem.** "

Katsu glanced over the moves Rufflet might know and looked over at Oshawott. He contemplated his first attack and then looked back at Rufflet.

"Rufflet, fly in and use Peck!" Katsu ordered.

Rufflet flapped his wings and soared high above the platform, staring down at his prey before giving a screech, signalling his attack. He dove effortlessly towards Oshawott, his beak glowing a bright white as he rocketed downwards.

"Oshawott, dodge and use water gun!" Hugh called out.

Oshawott looked up at the oncoming eaglet with anticipation. Waiting until just the right moment, Oshawott lept out of the way and fired a water gun straight at Rufflet, hitting it dead on, sending it sprawling out of control. Rufflet struggled to gain control and flapped its wet wings to shake the water off.

"Follow it up with tackle!" Hugh commanded.

"Leer!" Katsu called out.

Oshawott darted towards the slowly rising eaglet, his eyes fixated on him for but a moment. Rufflet glared at Oshawott, stopping the little otter in his tracks. For a moment he was a bit disoriented which also meant his defenses were lowered.

"Use fury attack!" Katsu ordered.

Using the moment of distraction to his advantage, Rufflet barreled into Oshawott, pecking and scratching Oshawott until it fell over, struggling to get up.

"You're gonna pay for that Katsu!" Hugh called out, turning to Oshawott who was barely standing.

"Water gun!" Hugh commanded.

Oshawott was barely able to stay on his feet at this point. He gathered the aquatic energies and fired a blast of water at Rufflet, only for it to miss as the bird quickly dodged it without hesitation.

"Let's get in with another peck and end it!" Katsu called out.

"Get out of there Oshawott!" Hugh commanded.

Oshawott tried to move out of the way, but after taking a fury attack after his defenses were lowered, he could barely move. Rufflet's beak rammed into him full force and he flopped over.

"Oshawott!"

Silence fell over the platform for but a moment before Hugh recalled Oshawott.

"Heh...I guess I really can count on you after all Katsu. I need someone strong by my side in order to reach the goal. Well, I'm gonna go heal up. Meet you outside afterwards!" Hugh said as he ran off.

"That was a wonderful battle!" Bianca said happily.

"Thanks, that was our first fight. I wasn't sure if Rufflet was going to be able to pull through. Hugh's raised his Oshawott a bit longer...I guess I had aerial advantage on that one though..." Katsu laughed, scratching Rufflet's feathers.

"Still, I won! It was exciting."

Bianca giggled at this. He had just received his first Pokemon, albeit not by the normal means, and now he won his first match. Katsu definitely had the makings of a great trainer and he would only get better as time went on.

"Well, I need to be getting back to the lab. Juniper wants to go over a few things with me. Something about dreams...or something odd like that. Anyway, see you!" Bianca said as she dashed off, leaving Katsu to his own devices.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu came out of the Pokemon Center after healing Rufflet. The process didn't take very long which he was thankful for. Hugh was already waiting for him just outside.

"Hey Katsu, I see your Rufflet's all healed up," Hugh said, crossing his arms, watching the bird that perched on Katsu's right shoulder.

"Yep, and we're ready to go," Katsu said with a smirk.

"I think I'm gonna go on ahead and do some training. After that battle I realized that Oshawott and I need to get a lot stronger. That battle gave me a lot to think about. Anyway, see ya on the flipside!" Hugh said, turning and running towards route 19 which was the start of the journey.

Katsu blinked as he watched his childhood friend run off.

"Wait!" A voice called out from behind. Hugh was already a good distance away so he wouldn't be able to hear it.

Katsu turned around to see his little sister panting heavily, Hughs mother by her side with a frown on her visage.

Hugh's mother also had blue hair that showered down her shoulders and back. It was easy to see where Hugh got most of his looks from.

"He forgot the map chip..." His sister pouted.

"That boy, honestly...he's always in a hurry. I don't know how you managed to put up with him Katsu," Hugh's mother sighed.

"It took some doing. And if it helps, I'll take the chip. Eh? You've got two here huh? I guess I'll take the second one then. I need to install it into my XTransceiver so I can have a map as well," Katsu chuckled.

"Be sure to give my boy a good smack over the head for leaving without at least saying goodbye. I swear he gets it from his father..." Hugh's mother grumbled.

"Don't worry, will do," Katsu chuckled.

"Take care of yourself Katsu, don't worry your mother like you always do!" Hugh's mother called out as Katsu took off.

Katsu rolled his eyes and raced off towards route 19 where he would finally start his journey. He was excited to say the least. This was going to be the adventure of a life time and he was super stoked about it. If it wasn't already evident enough with his running through the tall grass with reckless abandon, it would never be clear.

As he ran, a figure blurred past him and landed in front of him. Katsu tilted his head slightly as he saw a purple cat standing there. The cat licked its paws, holding up something that clearly wasn't hers. It was a diamond necklace and by the looks of things.

"Get back here you little thief!" A feminine voice called out, causing the cat to look back. The little cat looked back up at Katsu, a devious smirk appearing on her visage as she lept onto his shoulder.

Out of the clearing came a young girl around Katsu's age. She had long golden curls that stopped midway down her back. She had on an expensive looking black, form fitting dress with black steel toe boots to match. The dress accented her figure perfectly. Her eyes were a violet color and her lips were scarlet like a rose. She had a beauty mark on her right cheek. On her head was a black fedora with a silver strap around it and a white bow. She wore thin rimmed glasses as well.

"So, it was your Purrloin who stole my diamonds huh?!" The girl snarled, storming forwards towards Katsu.

"What? N-n-no, this isn't my Pokemon," Katsu protested.

"Really? Then what's it doing on your shoulder? Hmmm?! Don't try to lie your way out of this one. I'm going to call the police, but not before bringing you down, prepare for a battle!" The girl snapped.

"Will you just listen, this isn't even my-"

"Snivy, let's go!" The girl shouted.

Katsu palmed his face and shook his head. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting to happen the first day of his journey. How was he going to explain this one to his mother? Better yet...how would he ever live it down if he lost? Hugh certainly wouldn't let him forget it.

"I guess I don't have a choice...Rufflet, let's get this over with!" Katsu said as Rufflet soared off his shoulders. He squaked angrily at the girl, his aggressive nature kicking in as he glared at her.

Snivy stared back at Rufflet intently, analyzing his strength as she watched the eaglet hover in the air. It was obvious that this wasn't her first fight. The concentration she displayed was evidence of that. Then again...this wasn't Rufflet's first rodeo either. The two combatants stared each other down with only one thing on their minds. Bringing victory to their trainers.

 _ **And so Katsu is finally off on his journey! After winning his first battle with his childhood friend, Hugh! He is now off and running. He got a lucky break since Rufflet hatched, but now it seems his luck might be running out. He's already accused of being a thief by some girl he doesn't even know. Let's see how he faces this new opponent! Next time on Icy Wrath!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Good morning everyone! How goes it? Yes, it's that time again! Mango is back! So, how did everyone like the first chapter of this new fic? I hope it sparked enough interest because it's going to be continued. Now, to clear things up, a few of you have said that Rufflet isn't exactly rare it was just hard to find. If you were speaking of the White Version, you would be correct. There is a 30% chance of finding it. However, since this is based off the White 2 storyline, on Route 23 the loveable little guy is about as rare as an Eevee in the Castelia Sewers with only a 5% chance of finding the little bugger at level 52 in the dark grass. So, in White it's somewhat common, in White 2 be prepared to be walking in the grass for a while...unless you decide you're fed up with waiting and just us AR codes...but what's the fun in that? Anywho! Let's get to it shall we? Time to get things rolling!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 2: Alice The 'Great!'**

"Any last words before I put you in your place thief?" The girl said with a smirk, twirling a curly lock in her fingers before letting it bounce back into place.

"I told you already...I'm not a thief, but you don't seem to get that do you?" Katsu grumbled.

"Your Purrloin speaks for herself. I can recognize a bond between a trainer and their companion and you two seem quite chummy," she grinned, turning to her Snivy and nodding.

'This is stupid...' Katsu thought as he looked up at Rufflet who hovered above him, awaiting his trainer's commands.

'Let's see here...this doesn't really look too good. That Snivy I'm not worried about, it's that other Pokemon she's got on her belt...she's already got a leg up on me. How do I get myself into these situations? Oh well, let's just see what I can do...' Katsu thought as he turned to give Rufflet a command.

"Snivy, use Vine Whip!"

"Evade and use peck!"

Vines lashed out at the airborne eaglet, aiming to latch onto his ankles to pull him down. Rufflet saw the vines heading towards him and took evasive maneuvers, rolling to the side to avoid both vines as they swiped an arc across the sky. Rufflet then dove straight down towards Snivy who retracted her vines. Rufflet's beak glowed brightly as it accelerated downwards, his trajectory at just the right angle as he dove.

"Aim an Energy Ball at the ground!"

Snivy opened her mouth, absorbing the natural energies of nature around her as they formulated into an emerald sphere. She then shot the blast towards the dirt before her, kicking up dust for a makeshift smokescreen which blinded Rufflet to where she would be. Rufflet dove in and pulled up in alarm, looking around for where Snivy could be.

"Rufflet, use your wings to blow the dust away!"

"Vine Whip now!"

Rufflet began flapping his little wings furiously, pushing the dust away from him. He was soon caught by the vines that Snivy had quickly sent his way, ceasing his actions. Rufflet turned around to see Snivy grinning at him deviously.

"Slam him down!"

"Rufflet, climb!"

Snivy raised Rufflet into the air, aiming to send him plummeting into the ground. However, due to the innate strength that Rufflet's possessed, and also the weight difference between the two, Rufflet was able to spiral, creating a slight up draft which carried Snivy with Rufflet into the air. Surprisingly, the grip of the vines loosened which sent Snivy into a free fall.

"Dive down and use Peck!"

"Energy Ball!"

Taking this chance, Rufflet dove downwards, keeping in line to make a decisive strike. Snivy fired an Energy Ball towards Rufflet who evaded it by rolling slightly to the left. Due to the velocity he was plummeting, he soon reached his target and slammed his beak into Snivy, sending her crashing into the ground with crushing force. The impact from the fall as well as the force of the Peck attack that connected and the speed that Rufflet was diving was more than Snivy could handle. When the dust settled, Snivy was lying on the ground in a heap, unable to continue.

"Snivy, return..." The girl said as she held out her Pokeball, returning her little green companion to its home.

'That was a bit harder than I thought...that Snivy was well trained. How on earth does it already know Energy Ball? That's odd...' Katsu thought as he turned to face the girl.

"Well, I must admit I wasn't expecting that outcome. Snivy and I have trained to handle aerial attacks but it seems that your style threw us for a loop. Then again...I'd expect a thief to be good at what he does..." the girl smirked.

"Are you still going on about that? I already told you, I'm not a thief!" Katsu shot back.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the cops when they arrest you!"

Katsu mumbled something unintelligible before regaining his composure.

"Now...let's proceed, Mareep, let's go!" The girl shouted, firing her next Pokemon onto the field.

'I'm in trouble...that's an electric type...and without a doubt it's going to be hard to beat...' Katsu thought as he looked up at Rufflet.

"Mareep, Thundershock!"

"Evade it and use leer!"

Mareep spread her legs and raised her tail. Lightning sparked at its tip and shot down the length of the tail and soon the electrical aura surrounded her entire body. She soon fired off a blast of electricity towards the eaglet, her attack barely missing as Rufflet barrel rolled, the energy she expelled slashing nothing but air. Rufflet's eyes gleamed as he glared down at Mareep. Her stance became a little shaky as her defenses were lowered.

"Move in with peck!"

"Let it hit..." The girl grinned.

Rufflet dove downwards and then rushed forwards, taking advantage of the increased acceleration from the air to provide a more forceful impact. Rufflet drilled his beak into the wool of the sheep, only to feel electricity arcing across his body after the impact was made. Mareep stumbled from the assault but did not falter due to the resistance she held against Flying-types. Rufflet struggled to stay airborne but the paralysis was keeping him from climbing any higher.

"Checkmate...Wild Charge..." The girl said with a smirk.

Katsu's eyes widened at this proclamation. Mareep's body began to light up with powerful electrical energies. Using the static from the wool to conduct a more potent attack, the electric sheep surged forwards covered in an electric aura. Rufflet started panicking as he was struggling to lift off the ground. Before he even made it a foot off the ground he was rammed into by Mareep, electricity searing his body as he was sent flying into a nearby tree. Rufflet was knocked out and unable to continue.

As he watched Rufflet slide down from the tree, he felt something bind his wrists together. He looked up to see Snivy, perfectly well, save for a few scratches, binding him with a Vine Whip.

"Well, that settles that. I think it's about time I took you in and exposed you for the thief you are," the girl smirked.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm NOT a thief!" Katsu denied.

"Oh? Why has your Purrloin not left your side? She seems rather comfortable wearing MY necklace. Now, let's see who you are..." The girl said as she reached into his side pocket to pull out the Pokedex.

"Ah, Katsu Aiko huh? It's a shame, you're kinda cute...but that doesn't get you out of this jam. Now...where is that menu?"

"Hey, what are you doing?! That's my Pokedex, give that back!" Katsu protested.

"Not until I find more convicting evidence. Now keep quiet while I work..." The girl shot back.

A sigh escaped Katsu's lips as he looked down at his Rufflet who was still struggling to stand up. If he could reach his Pokeball he could return him, but due to the vines, he was unable at this point.

"Ah, here we go! Recent data. It says here that you just started out by the looks of things. Yep...today's date. Now...Pokemon under your care..." She continued, looking down the list to the recently sited Pokemon.

"I see...you've seen an Oshawott too...must be that loser I battled on the way from Floccesy Town...now...where is that Purrloin entry?" She mumbled.

As she scrolled through the Pokedex, her eyes widened a bit as she saw that Purrloin had no entry whatsoever in the Pokedex. The only Pokemon that Katsu appeared to own was Rufflet. Her face grew red with embarrassment as she placed the Pokedex back in his pocket. She was ashamed of herself at this point. And on top of that, she'd admitted he was cute. That was supposed to be a parting compliment before he was thrown in the slammer, she'd really messed up.

"Snivy, release him..." She muttered, getting a quizzical look from her companion.

Snivy's vines retracted which enabled Katsu to move freely again. Dusting himself off he glared at the girl, clearly irritated at what she'd done. He returned Rufflet to his ball and began to walk away.

"Wait..." The girl said as he walked off.

"What?" He shot back.

"I'm sorry I falsely accused you...it just looked like that Purrloin was yours..."

"It's fine...oh, yeah...your necklace..." Katsu said as he glanced over at the Purrloin who seemed reluctant to get off his shoulder.

Purrloin looked at him oddly for a moment and then looked back at the girl. She huffed and turned up her nose, not wanting to part with the beautiful diamond necklace she had come into possession of. Katsu sighed softly as he knelt down, causing Purrloin to hop off as he pulled his backpack off his shoulders, setting his bokken down as well. He began to rummage through the pack and soon came across a small container of Pokemon Food. He lifted the lid and slid it over to the Purrloin.

"I'll make you a deal Purrloin...you give her the necklace back, and I'll give you this food, deal?" Katsu inquired.

Purrloin glanced down at the food for a moment. Its scent wafted into her nostrils, causing her mouth to water. It smelled heavenly to her. Katsu's mother made a special blend from her own recipe which she taught to Katsu. Purrloin shook the necklace off and dove into the food. She just couldn't resist it. Katsu picked up the necklace and handed it over to the girl who looked at him in shock.

"I don't get it..." She said as she took the necklace back, placing it around her neck where it belonged.

"Don't worry about it, just don't go around falsely accusing people before they have the chance to explain..." Katsu muttered.

The girl laughed nervously before bowing her head in shame. She felt bad about having tied him up. He had only just started his journey and she'd become his first bump in the road.

"I'm sorry, is there any way I can make it up to you?" The girl inquired, tilting her head curiously as she watched Katsu interact with the Purrloin.

"Hmmm...well, there might be one thing that could do it. You said you saw a trainer with an Oshawott. Did he happen to have spiky blue hair, and was he wearing a red and white zip up jacket?" Katsu inquired.

"Oh! Yes, that's him! Why? Do you know him?"

"Actually, yes...he's my childhood friend. His name is Hugh. He and I are sorta on a journey together. He went off to do some training by himself for a while and I don't exactly know where he went. You see...his sister gave me a map chip to give to him since he ran off without taking one. I'm supposed to deliver it to him but...I don't know where he is," Katsu admitted.

"I actually passed him on the way here, not long before that Purrloin...stole my necklace."

Katsu looked down at the Purrloin who glanced back, sniggering to herself at the mention of the deed she'd done. Katsu rolled his eyes and looked back at the girl.

"Well, if you could take me to him, then we'll forget this whole thing happened," Katsu stated as he picked up his backpack, sliding his bokken onto his back in the process.

The girl looked at him for a moment, and then at the bokken which looked as though it were brand new.

'Judging by his tactical mind in battle...I'd say he's pretty darn good with that thing as well...the way his Rufflet weaved around Snivy was quite impressive...he could actually prove to be a good rival...' The girl thought to herself.

Purrloin finished up her food and stretched, yawning a bit as the meal was rather filling. She then promptly hopped onto Katsu's shoulder again. Katsu blinked at this, wondering why she had done this.

"Purrloin...does this mean you wanna join me?" Katsu inquired.

Purrloin tilted her head curiously as she looked over at him. She glanced back at the girl who was a little baffled by this development. She had been the source of the girl's trouble and now it appeared that Katsu was about to take her in? This wasn't something that was normal.

"P-p-please, don't tell me you plan to have her in your party. She got you into trouble and caused me to frame you!" The girl sputtered, pointing a finger at the devious little cat.

Purrloin simply snickered and looked back at Katsu with the question in her eyes. It was obvious that she liked being around Katsu for some reason. Maybe it was the food...or maybe he had a pleasant feeling to him? She couldn't decide which it was but she knew one thing. Travelling with him seemed like a fun prospect. Spotting a few Pokeballs on his belt, she faded from view and snatched one of them in her mouth. Katsu felt a ball snap off his belt and turned to see Purrloin playing with the ball as if it were a toy. She rolled it over to him and purred softly.

"Well, if you're sure..." Katsu said as he picked up the ball and tapped Purrloin on the head with it.

Purrloin mewed with joy as the red light engulfed her. The ball twitched a few times and then stopped, registering that Purrloin had been caught.

"Well...if you're going to have her around, you'd better keep her away from my possessions. Those Pokemon are known for stealing things and most thieves have them. Hence why I thought you were one..."

Katsu simply waved her off and released Purrloin from her ball so she could hop on his left shoulder. He knew Rufflet would occupy the right. He hoped the two passengers would get along after what occurred. He turned towards the girl and breathed a deep sigh.

"So...since you rummaged through my pockets just to find out who I was, I'd like to know your name as well," Katsu said firmly.

"I suppose it's only fair. My name is Alice Eleanora, or as some call me, 'Alice the Great,'"

"Alice...the Great?" Katsu inquired, tilting his head at this title she had given herself.

"Yes, I'm actually quite well known you know. Being the daughter of someone who works in the film industry has its perks. My father works with the famous Mr. Stu Deeoh, a producer of several major sellout movies. They're currently working on a new blockbuster and they say it's going to be a hit! I was promised a part in the next film you know?" Alice said giddily.

"Really? I actually like some of his productions. I heard the new one coming out deals with a man and a Riolu as partners or something...it sounds intense," Katsu chuckled.

"Oh it will be! My father does all the screen writing, however the actors get to do their own style, it's great!" Alice beamed.

"Er...anyway, we seem to have gotten off track. We need to get you to your friend...Hugh?"

"Yes...it's Hugh, you said you knew where he went," Katsu stated.

"Right, it's a ways back, he headed towards the Floccesy Ranch after stopping at the Pokemon Center. I kinda stomped him flat. He was a bit weak..." Alice said, scratching her head, not really caring that she'd insulted Hugh in front of Katsu.

"He just started out too, give him a break," Katsu grumbled.

"Sorry, but it's the truth. He actually challenged me when he saw me. Naturally I couldn't turn down a challenge, no matter how small...I beat him and left, simple as that," Alice shrugged.

"You really are arrogant aren't you?" Katsu muttered.

"What was that?" Alice said sternly.

"Nothing, let's just get going..."

Katsu and Alice set out towards Floccesy Town, observing battles along the way considering all Katsu had was Purrloin to work with while other trainers had more. Thankfully they were all too preoccupied to battle him.

"Hello down there!" A powerful voice called out, prompting them all to look around for the source.

At that moment, a rather tall man came plummeting down from a cliff top, landing with supreme grace as if the impact didn't affect him at all. The man was tall, with fire-like colored hair that was tied back in a bizarre ponytail. He wore a rather odd looking top with Pokeballs draped around his neck. His pants were ripped and he wore sandals. He had purple eyes as well. The tall man walked around Alice and Katsu, observing them for a moment before making an assessment.

"I can tell that the two of you have just set out on a journey...though one is more experienced than the other."

The man looked pointedly at Alice before turning to Katsu.

"Your Purrloin seems quite happy to be with you...though it looks as though you've just caught her. Remarkable. The two of you seem like excellent trainers...but training is definitely a must...hmmm...follow me..."

"Err...excuse me but...who are you?" Katsu inquired curiously.

"Don't tell me you're this daft...that's Alder, the former Champion of this region! He hangs out here a lot, mainly because this is where he's from...and I'd say you should take his advice," Alice muttered.

Katsu's eyes widened in revelation. It WAS him. How could he have missed it? Then again, it had been a while since he'd heard of him. There was a new Champion in town it seemed.

"Right...sorry, I kinda...forgot..." Katsu mumbled.

"Haha...that's quite alright, I'm not offended. Now, let's head to my house. It's just this way," Alder said with a grin.

"Uh, before we do that...we have something we need to take care of..." Katsu replied.

Alder blinked and turned to look at them, the question clearly on his face.

"We need to get to Floccesy Ranch...but we'll be back afterwards. Maybe then you could train us," Katsu said with a soft smile.

"I see, it seems you have urgent business there, fair enough. Come back as soon as you finish, that way we can get started soon."

Katsu nodded and turned to Alice who simply nodded.

"Lead the way," Katsu said to Alice who simply walked ahead of him.

 **X-X-X**

"Okay there Oshawott?" Hugh asked as his companion sat beside him with a saddened expression.

"Yeah...I know. She beat us pretty badly didn't she? I wasn't expecting her Snivy to be that good. On top of that...she had another Pokemon so she would have won if you got tired out. We have to get stronger...there's no way around it!" Hugh said as he stood up.

"We've got a new partner now, so we'll definitely get stronger. Katsu's not the only one with aerial assistance now..." Hugh grinned.

Oshawott nodded and stood up beside Hugh, a sound catching his ears as he turned towards the entrance of the Floccesy Ranch.

"Huh? Isn't that-it is!" Hugh exclaimed as he saw Katsu walking alongside Alice.

'What's she doing here?' Hugh thought with narrowed eyes, remembering the thorough beating he'd been given by her Snivy. The vision of Oshawott being ensnared in a Vine Whip before getting blasted with an Energy Ball replayed in his head once more.

Katsu and Alice were in mid-conversation when they noticed Hugh running up to them.

"Hugh, there you are!" Katsu said as he saw his friend skid to a stop before them.

"Oi, Katsu, took you long enough to get here. What's up? And...why are you with her?" Hugh asked in annoyance.

"Eh? Alice here owed me a favor after a bit of a mixup. It's a long story, I'll tell you later..." Katsu said with a grimace.

"In short, I accused him of stealing my necklace...or rather him sending his Purrloin to take it, and stomped him in a battle. I had Snivy tie him up but after finding that he was innocent...I released him," Alice said plainly.

"You're not afraid to speak up are you?" Katsu said, sweat-dropping.

"Nope."

"So, she beat you too huh?" Hugh inquired curiously.

"Yep...all I had was Rufflet at the time...then Purrloin decided she wanted to join me after all. I think she mainly joined because I fed her," Katsu grumbled.

Purrloin didn't seem to disagree with that statement and snickered before lightly licking Katsu's face.

"I see...they can be quite tricky. My sister's Purrloin was that way..."

Katsu glanced at his friend as a rather saddened expression dawned on his features. It seemed as though the sight of a Pokemon like the one his sister had was a bit more than he cared to handle.

"It's alright though...it's good to see one. It reminds me of our goal," Hugh said with a smirk.

"Your...goal?" Alice asked curiously.

"Ah, you haven't heard...or rather he didn't tell you. You see, about five years ago, Hugh's little sister had a Purrloin given to her by their grandfather. It was a precious gift to her. Team Plasma stole that from her and Hugh here couldn't do much to stop it. He's on a journey to get back the Purrloin that was stolen and I'm helping him out. Oh...and there's the bit about bringing them down too..."

"Wait...you all plan to take on that psychotic organization? I'm sorry if this comes as rude but you two aren't ready yet."

"We know..." Katsu muttered.

"We just need to get stronger. That's the whole point of this journey is to become stronger so we can prevent things like that from happening again," Hugh sighed.

"Well...if you're going to do that, you're going to need help. So, I...Alice the Great, will join you," Alice smirked.

"You're going to ride that whole 'Great' thing all the time aren't you?" Katsu grumbled.

"Yep, and I'll never tire of reminding you of it. I did win our battle after all. Now...what do you say we get back to Alder? He's a patient man but I don't think it's fitting to keep someone of his caliber waiting," Alice said as she turned to walk off.

"Hang on..." Hugh said as he turned to face Katsu.

"I want a rematch...our first battle got me thinking that I needed to get stronger, so that's exactly what I did while I was here..." Hugh grinned.

Katsu smirked as he turned towards his friend. He'd healed Rufflet at the center and was now in possession of Purrloin which made things even.

"I suppose I'll judge this match. It'll be interesting to see how you two battle," Alice smirked, walking between the two as they stood on opposite sides.

"Are you two ready?"

"Yep!" Katsu and Hugh said in unison.

"Begin!"

"Rufflet, let's go!"

"Pidove, you're up!"

Pidove and Rufflet emerged onto the battle field and took flight, staring at one another with determined expressions. Rufflet was clearly the bigger bird and the stronger of the two. Pidove was the smaller and seemingly more agile of them. This would be a contest of strength against speed.

"Pidove, Quick Attack!"

"Rufflet, avoid it and use Wing Attack!"

Pidove sped forwards, closing his wings in to make himself more aerodynamic as he shot towards Rufflet. Due to the speed advantage, Rufflet was barely able to avoid the oncoming quick attack before retaliating with an attack of his own. Rufflet's wings glowed brightly as he raced towards Pidove, aiming to clip his wings. Pidove, seeing this coming, pulled into a kulbit and got behind Rufflet.

"Gust!" Hugh called out.

Pidove flapped his wings furiously, sending a blast of wind towards Rufflet, hitting him dead on, causing the eaglet to experience a lot of turbulence, the sharp winds cutting at his feathers.

"Close in with Quick Attack!"

Pidove raced down once more, taking advantage of the shakiness of his opponent. Sensing his approaching foe, the small bird of prey righted itself, finally, and barrel rolled out of the way of the attack.

"Close in with Peck!"

Rufflet dove downwards, using the acceleration he'd gained from the height to boost his speed. He drove his beak hard into Pidove's neck, causing the little dove to cry out in pain as the pressure was increased, causing them to plummet.

"Finish up with Wing Attack!"

Rufflet broke off from the descending Pidove and darted down towards the little dove, his wings glowing brightly as he decreased in altitude, trading it for speed to power his attack. His wings connected solidly sending Pidove crashing into the ground, kicking up dust from the impact. The dust soon cleared to reveal a knocked out Pidove.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" Alice declared.

"That was good Pidove...you deserve to rest," Hugh said as he returned Pidove.

"Sheesh Katsu, Rufflet was already good before, what did you do? Train him along the way here?" Hugh grunted.

"Something like that..." Katsu chuckled nervously as Hugh pulled out Oshawotts ball.

"Oshawott, let's go!" Hugh called out, sending out Oshawott to battle.

"Rufflet, take a breather...Purrloin, your turn."

Purrloin shrugged and hopped off his shoulder, licking her paw as she looked over at Oshawott.

"Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

"Use Sand Attack!"

Oshawott reared his head back, concentrating on bringing the aquatic element into his mouth before spewing out a thick stream of water at Purrloin. The crafty little cat turned tail and kicked up sand which obscured the accuracy of the water gun, giving her time to avoid being hit. The water pierced through the sand and hit a nearby tree, missing its target.

Purrloin was nowhere to be seen. She, like her evolution, was very stealthy.

"Fury Swipes!"

Oshawott turned around to see Purrloin dash out from the dust cloud, leaping at him with vicious intent. Claws outstretched, Purrloin slashed at Oshawott, landing several successful strikes.

"Water Gun!"

Oshawott managed to dodge the last swipe and fired a stream of water at Purrloin, hitting her square in the face, sending her skidding across the ground.

"End this with Tackle and one more Water Gun!"

Oshawott wasted no time. His opponent was sopping wet and shaking off her fur at this point. He rushed forward and rammed straight into Purrloin, knocking her back before blasting her with another Water Gun.

"Purrloin is unable to battle! Oshawott wins!" Alice declared.

"Looks like we're even...good job," Katsu called out, recalling Purrloin with a faint smile.

"Yep, now for the rematch between our first Pokemon," Hugh grinned.

"You know...it just occurred to me Katsu. You. Have. A. Shiny. Rufflet! How, and when did you get your hands on it?" Alice inquired in a demanding tone.

"Why does everyone ask me that? I hatched it from an egg that I got before my birthday...which, since you read my information, is TODAY," Katsu emphasized, turning back to the fight.

"I see...well, happy birthday then," Alice said, holding off on any further questions for later.

"Rufflet, it's time for another round partner, you ready?"

Rufflet answered by soaring off his shoulders, screeching his challenge to his foe. Oshawott looked back up at Rufflet, remembering their first encounter not ending well for him. Oshawott was in a bit worse shape than Rufflet after the Fury Attack that Purrloin delivered. On top of that, his vision was a bit cloudy. Sand Attack was a dirty tactic to use but it was effective. From high up in one of the trees by the Ranch, a small shadow watched the trio as the last part of the battle began. The shadow's eyes fixated on Katsu as he commanded Rufflet.

"Oshawott, Razor Shell!"

"Rufflet, Wing Attack!"

Oshawott took the shell that was attached to him off and channeled the power of aquatic energies into it before launching it straight at the oncoming bird. Rufflet, seeing this coming, dipped down and to the side a little to avoid the shell entirely. He closed in on Oshawott, aiming his wings at just the right angle, hoping to clip the side of the little otter. The shell looped back around, nearly hitting Rufflet on the return. Oshawott barely avoided getting rammed by Rufflet as he stumbled out of the way.

"Water Gun!"

Oshawott fired a powerful blast of energy towards Rufflet, missing due to his vision being obscured from the earlier Sand Attack. Rufflet circled around and screeched a battle cry, rushing back towards Oshawott swiftly.

"Use Leer!"

Before Oshawott could look away, that familiar disoriented feeling came over him, causing him to stumble a bit. He was already scratched up, his accuracy was off and now he was disoriented. This wasn't going to end well.

"Oshawott, use Water Gun over and over!"

In a desperate attempt to make contact, Oshawott fired a volley of streams into the air, hoping to hit something. Rufflet was getting rather tired out by this point and was now barely avoiding the streams.

"Close in and finish this with Fury Attack!"

Rufflet was nailed in the chest with the last stream, sending him flying back a little, flapping his feathers wildly to get the water off. Another stream came his way and he ducked down quickly to avoid it, folding his feathers in to gain quicker acceleration as he raced towards his target. His course was a little shaky since he'd been damaged earlier in the fight with Pidove and now a Water Gun had connected. Finally closing in he let loose a flurry of scratches and pecks in rapid succession. Not being able to withstand the assault, mainly due to fatigue and the defensive drop, Oshawott fell over.

"Oshawott is unable to battle! Rufflet wins and the match goes to Katsu!" Alice declared.

"Whew...that was close!" Katsu sighed, calling back Rufflet to his shoulder.

"Looks like you beat me again. I almost had you too, if Oshawott didn't take damage during that last fight he would have won."

"It was a good fight though, I enjoyed it, and I think Purrloin and Rufflet liked the challenge too."

"Well, that was a splendid battle you two. Now, shall we get back to town? Alder is waiting still..." Alice reminded.

"Yeah, I know."

"Alder? As in the former Champion Alder? Shoot, if he's offering to make us stronger, I say we do it!" Hugh grinned.

"That was an incredible battle you two!" A new voice called out, prompting Katsu and the others to turn around.

"I agree darlin' those two trainers are remarkable," A man said as he turned to his wife.

"Uh...you were watching?" Hugh blinked in surprise.

"Yep, my wife and I were simply tending to the Pokemon on the Ranch when we heard a racket coming from this way. When we got here, we saw a fantastic battle," The man grinned.

"Here, why don't you give your Pokemon this? We've got a lot of potions here so don't worry about it," the woman smiled, handing Katsu and his friends a few potions.

"Thanks, that's nice of you," Katsu smiled, letting out Purrloin so she could have a drink.

"Now, I don't mean to bother you three but...you wouldn't happen to have seen a Herdier around her would you? We have two but...we sorta lost track of the other one, he's usually with his mate," The woman inquired.

Hugh quirked a brow at this statement. They lost their Pokemon? This did not sit well with Hugh and the aggravated look on his face explained that well enough.

"You lost him?! Don't you know how to keep track of him? He could be gone for good! Katsu, Alice, help me find him!" Hugh spat as he stormed off.

"Errr...what was that all about?" Alice inquired.

"It's like I told you before...his sister lost her Purrloin to Team Plasma. Whenever people say they can't find their Pokemon, he gets upset for that very reason."

"I'm sure Herdier is just playing with some of the Pokemon in the Ranch. There's nothing to worry about I'm sure..." The man said with a grin.

"I don't know dear, he's been gone an awfully long time. He's usually never gone for this long."

 **X-X-X**

Herdier was being backed into a corner at this point. A man wearing an odd blue, black and white uniform with a shield crest in the center with an azure 'P' etched into it. The shield was white on one side and black on the other. Herdier barked continuously, trying to alert anyone nearby that it was under attack. Herdier was weakened at this point and exhausted.

"Just give up ya mangy mutt! You're going to be serving a much better purpose once you're under our leader's care," the man smirked.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Hugh's voice called out.

"Huh?" The man said as he turned to see three teenagers heading his way.

'Great...I was hoping this operation would go off without a hitch...oh well, looks like I'll have to bail for now...' The man thought as he reached for a Pokeball.

"Krookodile, use Sand Attack!"

The man released a large crimson, bipedal crocodile-like Pokemon from its chamber who immediately kicked up dust in the trainers faces. Using that distraction, the man left, leaving the Herdier with them. Katsu coughed and covered his eyes to avoid getting sand in them. The others did the same, waiting for the dust to settle. Katsu opened his eyes to see that the Herdier was still sitting there, looking a little worse for wear at the moment.

"Well -cough- that went well," Alice grimaced, looking over at the other two to make sure they were okay.

"Yeah...no kidding. Well, at least we got the Herdier back safely...though I wonder...that man had a Krookodile. If he wanted to he could have easily defeated us...so why did he flee?" Hugh wondered.

"I don't know...maybe he didn't know what we had. The odds were three against one and he probably was doing that to be safe. Regardless, let's get this Herdier back to his owner. I'm sure they miss him," Katsu said as he walked towards the Herdier.

As he did so, rustling was heard in the tall blades of grass. He turned around to see the owners of the ranch coming their way.

"Herdier! There you are!" The woman said with a bright smile.

Herdier yipped happily as he recognized his owners and his mate.

"I can't thank you kids enough. What happened?" The man inquired, looking down at his injured friend.

"Well, in short, some weirdo was attacking your Herdier and we chased him off. It was rather strange..." Alice said as she tapped her chin.

"I see, well, thank you very much you three. That brings us so much relief. If you three ever stop by here again, come and see us. We'd be happy to have you over for supper some time," The woman said with a smile.

"Thank you, we'll definitely do that. It sounds good," Katsu smiled.

With that out of the way, the three began to head back towards Floccessy Town. Hugh seemed eager to meet Alder and get stronger than he was. Little did the trio realize, that by going along the route they had before, they were already steadily gaining strength. Several trainers along the way challenged them to a battle. Each of them were skilled in their own way, bringing matches down to the wire. However, the trio snagged victory every single time. It wasn't long until they reached their destination, looking a little dirty from all the battles and walking they'd done.

 **X-X-X**

"Teacher? Are we going to train more today?" A little boy named Seymour inquired, leaning back in his chair as Alder stood by the window of his house.

"Very soon Seymour, I'm just waiting on a few more to come so we can get started. They're beginners like you two so it should be fun," Alder smiled.

"That sounds like fun, I can't wait to test what I've learned," a little girl named Cassie said as she bounced on her toes, clearly excited.

Alder stepped out of the house for a bit, the two following him immediately as he walked into town. Having seen the trio from the window, he figured he'd come to greet them. And that's when he saw it. Rufflet was sitting on Katsu's shoulder along with the Purrloin on the opposite. He hadn't seen the Rufflet and assumed correctly that this was the other Pokemon he had on him. Rufflet were known for being aggressive and vicious combatants, especially after evolving into Braviary. Alder observed the three as the came closer. They looked as though they had been through a lot of battles in a short amount of time. This was a little odd considering he'd not sent them off but three hours ago.

Their walk was more confident, and they seemed as though they could handle just about anything that came their way. He had misjudged them at the start, but he was somewhat glad to realize that.

"It looks like you two made it back, and with your friend I see," Alder stated, indicating what he meant by nodding to Hugh.

"Uh, yeah, we did. It was quite a bit of a hassle but we managed," Katsu said with a slight smile.

"Well, good, I'm happy to hear that. And you'll be happy to know that your little journey has made you stronger than when I first saw you. I can tell you all took advantage of the time to train which is good. I'll be needing your help with something, so instead of training you I want you to train these two," Alder smiled, putting his massive hands on Cassie and Seymour's shoulders.

"They look really strong though Teacher, are you sure?" Seymour inquired.

"Don't worry about it, this will be a fun experience. You can learn from defeat as much as victory you know, just give it your best shot and you will do fine," Alder smiled.

For the next few hours, Katsu, Hugh, and Alice spent time training the two school kids, helping them with various strategies the best they knew how. They weren't experts, and Alice seemed to know a bit more than Katsu and Hugh did, which worked out really well.

"Well you three, that was quite a lot of fun," Alder smiled.

"Thank you so much! You three are great!" Cassie chirped.

"Yeah, you guys are really tough! I hope we can be as good as you three one day," Seymour said happily.

"Well, greatness is a burden at times, but someone has to have it. Right?" Alice said proudly, causing the others to face palm.

"I think what Alice here is saying, is that it takes time and effort to get to where you want to be. Train hard and you can achieve anything," Katsu corrected.

"I thought my explanation was fitting,"Alice huffed.

Hugh sighed and shook his head.

"I think you three should challenge the Asperita City Gym. There is a new leader there and I hear he's quite skilled. From the looks of things you three are registered for the Unova League. So go give it a shot," Alder grinned.

"That sounds like a plan," Katsu smirked.

"You two can go on ahead, I'm gonna go ahead and catch another partner...I hear Cheren has at least three Pokemon. I don't wanna be at a disadvantage..." Hugh said as he turned to head back to the Ranch.

"Alright, I suppose I'll do the same at some point...make sure to meet up with us later on!" Katsu called out as Hugh left in a hurry to find a new partner.

"I guess it's just us two for now," Katsu said as he turned to head out of Floccesy Town with Alice.

"Yep...though I must say, I wasn't expecting to be travelling with anyone. However, I still don't quite feel like I've made it up to you for what I did. So, I've decided to grace you with my company as you travel," Alice smirked.

"Still keeping up the ego eh? I suppose I can deal with that...we can train together since I still need to figure out new battle tactics. Purrloin needs to toughen up a bit more..." Katsu chuckled.

"Well, who better to teach you than moi? I will help you whip her into shape," Alice grinned.

'I'm starting to wonder if this is a good idea...' Katsu thought as the two headed off, not knowing whatelse was in store for them.

Unbeknownst to Katsu, there was a shadowy figure watching them from one of the trees. It had followed them after the battle had taken place at the ranch. It darted along the trees as the two continued to walk, almost as if it were waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

 _ **And that does it for the second chapter! Alice has been introduced! The egotistic young girl turned out to be a very strong battler, overcoming Katsu with almost little effort. After having wrongly accused him of thievery, she decides to make it up to him by joining him on his journey. After the run-in with a Team Plasma member, they will be sure to be on the lookout for more. Now that they're on their way back to Asperita City, a new threat lurks in the shadows. What could it be? And why is it following them? Find out next time, on Icy Wrath!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of my newest fanfic! So far it looks like people seem to like it. I deliberated on making this one for quite a while as it was a tie between the BW2 series and XY series. My other fic will continue, I just want to shell a few chapters of this new one out to get it rolling along. In any case, how was the last chapter for you guys? Now that we've got our trio set up, well...sort of a trio, Hugh sorta does what he wants. Just so you all are aware, I'm basing the gym challenges off of the Challenge Mode. The grunts will be a bit stronger for Team Plasma as well. Now that we've got that little side note out of the way, it's time to continue this story! Everyone strapped in? Good. Let's go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 3: A Test of Skill**

Katsu and Alice had decided to take a breather in their travelling. After parting with Hugh for a while, the two had decided to turn back and heed Hugh's advice on catching another Pokemon. They could certainly use it after all, right? The two found themselves in a rather small, and secluded forest not too far from Alder's house. The small little forest was called Pledge Grove.

"This place is so peaceful...don't you think? This place has a little legend behind it you know?" Alice said as the two rested under a tree.

"No, I wasn't aware of it...what's the legend?" Katsu inquired, tilting his head curiously.

"Well, see that rock over there?"

"You mean that giant one with the slash marks carved into it?"

"Yep...it was said that a Pokemon made those marks. But if you'll notice...there are three marks, meaning three different Pokemon. They are the Legends of this region. Their names, as you may know are Cobalian, Virizion and Terrakion. And see that larger mark there? That was made by Keldeo..." Alice said with a soft smile, looking over at Katsu who was now standing in front of the rock.

"I see...so those four Legendaries made those marks in this stone. Heh...that must have been quite a sight," Katsu said with a soft smile.

"Indeed, I wish I could have seen it. Sadly, they don't appear before humans all that much. If anyone ever thinks they saw them, they move too quickly to even be noticed. It's a mystery really..." Alice shrugged.

Katsu couldn't help but gaze up at the marks. He traced his hands along the surface of the solid structure, noting that it would take a considerable amount of force to carve that deep into it. Visions of a sword slicing straight through the rock raced through his mind as he touched the stone. Mere shadowy images of four different Pokemon flashed in his mind as he saw the cut marks being made. He pulled his hand away from the rock, shaking his head slightly as he stared up at it.

'What was that just now?' Katsu thought as he looked back over at Alice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...I just...felt something strange is all," Katsu murmured.

A faint rustling caught his attention, followed by the feeling of fast moving air behind them. Katsu instinctively pushed Alice out of the way as a blast of air carved itself into the ground, leaving an indentation in the dirt after blasting up a few stones that were imbedded into the ground.

"What's your deal Katsu?!" Alice asked furiously, getting up to dust her dress off.

"Shhh...there's something out there..." Katsu said as he stood still, closing his eyes to listen.

Alice's eyes glanced down at the small crater that was left in the ground near them, her mind coming to the conclusion that a Pokemon had launched an attack on them unsuspectingly.

'Where are you?' Katsu thought as he cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts.

Katsu had learned to feel out his surroundings without the use of sight. He could go into a state of meditation and in this state, everything became more vivid to him. He could hear the wind howling more clearly as it kissed every blade of grass and whispered to the trees before whisking itself away towards the sky.

'There!' Katsu thought as he withdrew his bokken swiftly, bringing it up just as an attack was coming directly his way.

His bokken made contact with what appeared to be a Pokemon's paw. Katsu barely sensed him as he came close and was able to repel his attacker, although with great difficulty. He skidded back from the impact and looked up at the Pokemon. It had black legs, and its torso was also black in color. It had rounded bumps on the back of its forepaws and it had what appeared to be a black mask across his face. The canine looking Pokemon was blue in color and had crimson eyes. It looked up at Katsu with a determined gaze.

"That's a Riolu! Those are so cute!" Alice said as she looked over the adorable little canine.

"Well, this cute little Pokemon attacked us...and I wanna find out why..." Katsu mumbled.

Katsu reached for Rufflet's Pokeball, only to feel a blast of wind brush by his hand, creating another mark in the grass behind him. He glanced back at Riolu with a quizzical look. Was it challenging just him? Katsu didn't exactly have the advantage at this point considering Riolu was born knowing how to fight. Katsu merely trained in the art of Kendo and various other Martial Arts. He was strong, but Pokemon had superhuman strength and abilities, so why was Riolu challenging Katsu?

"Uh...Katsu, I think it wants just you...not your Pokemon..." Alice deduced.

"Looks to be that way...but I wonder why?" Katsu thought.

His answer came to him in the form of another Vacuum Wave, making Katsu dive out of the way, Alice following so she wouldn't get hit.

"I don't understand, the Riolu we have back at the theatre isn't this aggressive!" Alice said as she looked back over at Katsu.

"Well...this one is. But I don't think it's aggressive for no reason..."

Riolu was still silent which was puzzling to Katsu. Without a moments hesitation, Riolu lanched itself at Katsu, aiming a Force Palm towards him. Katsu barely managed to evade it and brought his bokken down swiftly onto the back of the Riolu, causing it to fall onto the ground. Without wasting time, Riolu broke his fall and swept Katsu's feet from beneath him. Katsu fell on his back and rolled to the side to avoid the oncoming Force Palm which shattered the ground where he once was.

Katsu rolled back up and stood still, his bokken at the ready. Riolu stood there, staring Katsu down adamantly. Without a word he whirled his arms about, twisting into the air before firing off a Vacuum Wave in his direction. Katsu, feeling the air pressure around him, leapt aside as the blast of air gashed the ground where he stood.

Alice simply stood there, her mouth gaping open as she watched. If only she had her camera! This would be an excellent thing to show her father and give him a new idea for a movie. She still couldn't figure out how Katsu was keeping up with Riolu. If only she knew that his stamina was starting to run a bit low. Riolu had more than he did which didn't work in Katsu's favor.

A drop of sweat trickled down Katsu's visage as he kept an eye on Riolu. So far, he'd deduced that his attacks were; Vacuum Wave, Force Palm, and apparently Quick Attack. Katsu was breathing rather heavily at this point, and Riolu only looked slightly tired. What was the deal with this Riolu? He couldn't figure it out but he was certain he would find out soon enough.

Katsu had made one offensive strike after a decisive counter blow, however Riolu was a step ahead of him each time. Katsu couldn't help but shake the feeling that Riolu was testing him somehow. He'd heard of Pokemon randomly attacking to see how the trainer would react. Those that got irritated quickly would lose their cool and end up falling victim to their own carless mistakes. Katsu, however, was different. Riolu could see this, which was why he wanted to test Katsu. Riolu wasn't called the Emanation Pokemon for nothing. He could feel out the auras of every living creature, if only slightly. He didn't have full access to the endless pool of power that was aura, but when he evolved, that would become more clear to him.

Somehow, Katsu could read his movements, something that Riolu had never heard of in a human. This intrigued him, which was why he continued the fight to this point. Right now, they were seemingly at a stalemate, skill-wise anyway. Then again, Riolu wasn't going completely all out. If you call firing off Vacuum Waves and Force Palms, holding back that is.

"Alright Riolu, what do you want? You've got my attention...so what's with the sudden attack? Care to explain?" Katsu said sternly.

Riolu replied by firing a Vacuum Wave in Katsu's direction, using the distraction to get in close with a Quick Attack. Katsu sidestepped the Vacuum Wave and quickly put up his bokken to block the oncoming assault. The bokken connected with the paw of Riolu and the two stood opposing one another, pressing their weight against one another in the process.

'I...wanted to see...how strong you were...'

Katsu blinked as he heard a voice echo in his mind. He glanced down at Riolu who was looking back at him, still pushing against Katsu's bokken with his palms before forcing Katsu back, causing him to slide across the ground. He looked up to see Riolu racing towards him, leaping up to bring a Force Palm his way. Katsu rolled aside and stood up, only to be swept off his feet and flattened on the ground. He looked up to see a glowing palm in his face.

'Do you yield?'

Katsu looked up at Riolu and simply nodded. Riolu's palm ceased glowing and he stepped back, watching as Katsu stood up.

"Ouch...that hurt," Katsu moaned, looking down at Riolu who looked away from him.

"Coulda warned me before doing that..." Katsu mumbled.

'Sorry...I guess I was just excited. I saw your bokken and wanted to see how good you were with it and how strong you were...it seems you exceeded my expectations.'

Katsu still couldn't make sense of it. Was a Pokemon talking to him? This had to be the strangest thing he'd seen in a while. Never before had he heard of any Pokemon talking, save for Legendaries. So...why did this Riolu? He was completely puzzled by this.

'I'm guessing you're wondering why I can talk to you. You see...I'm not all that experienced with it, but I am able to manage the basics of what is called Aura. Tapping into this allows me to speak to someone who also has a similar ability. Normally this would be other Pokemon...but, you seem to have a lot of Aura. Is it due to your training with the bokken? Oh...you probably don't know how to speak to me like this...sorry, I can't do much about that except tell you what I was told. In order to access your Aura pool, you need to clear your mind and focus only on that. When that feeling of tranquility comes over you...you should be able to use your will to grab hold of it...or something like that, sorry...'

Katsu quirked a brow as he listened to what Riolu said. He still couldn't grasp the concept but he figured he would give it a try anyway and close his eyes.

"Uh...earth to Katsu, are you there?" Alice inquired, waving her hand in front of Katsu.

"Hellooooooo!"

Katsu had tuned her out by this time. He felt as though there was a slight tug on his mind, he figured that must have been what Riolu said to feel for. After several minutes of trying, he finally felt something different. He opened his sapphire hues with a smirk, looking back at Riolu, chuckling a little.

'I...I think I got it! Neat...but, this is strange...how does this even work?'

Riolu looked taken aback by this, sweat-dropping as he heard Katsu's voice in his mind.

'I wasn't expecting you to get it so quickly...you seem to be able to tap into your Aura reserves quite easily, though it must have taken some doing.'

'Yeah...it was confusing at first...but I think I got it...' Katsu replied.

"Katsu, I'm not going to ask you again. What are you doing?!" Alice asked, flailing her arms as she yelled at him.

Katsu blinked as he looked back at Alice.

"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out why Riolu attacked me, apparently he wanted to test my skill...heh...I guess that kind of stuff happens."

Alice seemed confused. Why would a Pokemon go out of their way like this? She looked around at the evidence of their battle, sweat-dropping at the holes she saw in the ground due to the repeated Vacuum Waves. If this was a test, she'd hate to see the real thing.

"Well, it seems to like you. The only question is, does he want to go with you?" Alice inquired, glancing over at the Riolu who looked back up at Katsu.

'Who's this?'

'Her name's Alice...don't mind her, she's a bit of an ego trip...and a self proclaimed 'Great.'

'I see...is she strong?'

'Very...she's a talented trainer...defeated me rather easily in a battle.'

'After seeing your skills, that's hard to believe...' Riolu replied.

'You think so? Heh...I've only just started my journey, wait...have you been tailing us?'

'Yep...' Riolu stated simply.

"Katsu...you've gone silent again. What's the matter with you? Do you space out a lot or something? You're beginning to annoy me..." Alice grumbled.

'Is she always this testy?'

'I haven't known her for that long, so I couldn't tell you...'

'I see...well...let's cut to the chase, may I join you?'

Katsu blinked in astonishment as the little blue canine had asked him if he could join him. Katsu was speechless. First, the Purrloin wanted to come along and now it was a Riolu. He had to admit, this would solve his need for a third teammate. Katsu couldn't help it. He picked up one of his Pokeballs and hit the mechanism to enlarge the ball.

'I take it that's a yes?'

'Yep...' Katsu replied before tapping Riolu on the head with the ball, the laser engulfing him into the ball.

The Pokeball twitched a few times before the light dimmed and the ball went still. A grin crossed Katsu's features as he picked up the ball with his new friend.

Alice's eyes went wide as she saw this. Had that entire battle just been so that Riolu could decide whether or not to join him? The world of Pokemon was a vast and mysterious one indeed.

"Well, that takes care of a third one for your party, I just need to find me one and we'll have three to challenge the Gym Leader with, though I'm curious...there was a lot of head movement there...and Riolu looked at me a few times...what was going on?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing..." Katsu lied, a smirk crossing his features as he let his party out.

Purrloin yawned and stretched a little as she appeared. Rufflet took to Katsu's right shoulder as usual and Riolu stood before him, looking up at his new partners.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our new friend, Riolu. He's going to be joining us on our journey. We have a Gym Battle coming up and I'd like everyone to help out. This is going to be a big challenge for you all so we're going to need to train hard for it."

All three Pokemon nodded their heads in unison. Purrloin hopped up on Katsu's shoulder and nuzzled into his face. Rufflet gave Purrloin a quizzical look before deciding that she wasn't worth the fuss. Riolu glanced up at his new companions and smiled softly. This was going to be quite a journey for the little canine, that much was certain.

"Well, we have a little time before the sun sets. We should probably get out of here and head for Asperita City. It will take us a while to get back there but I figure we might as well get on it. I still need to catch a new partner so we'll be able to match the Gym Leader. I just need to figure out what I want exactly..." Alice said as she scratched her head. At that point, the answer came bouncing out of the bushes in the form of a small canine-like Pokemon that looked like it had a flower shaped face.

"Well...that didn't take long..." Alice said as she turned towards the Lillipup with a smirk.

 **X-X-X**

"Well, looks like I've got what I came for. Man this was one heck of a day huh Oshawott?" Hugh said as he relaxed under a tree with his companions.

"We got a new partner, so this will be good for us."

Hugh's Pidove cooed in concurrence, looking over at Hugh's newly captured Patrat. He had a bit of a time with the little critter but managed to capture it after Pidove managed to wear it down.

"I suppose we ought to get going...the sun is setting and by now, Katsu and Alice are probably at the gym, or at least in Asperita City. Ugh...I forgot to say goodbye to mom...well, at least I can take care of that before I leave again. Glad I got this map chip...I'd be a little lost if I didn't have it."

Hugh stood up and stretched, scratching the feathers on Pidove's back afterwards before setting out. Oshawott and Patrat walked alongside Hugh as they all exited the Ranch.

 **X-X-X**

"You seem quite happy..." Katsu laughed as he and Alice walked through Route 19 after a long day.

"Oh, quite happy indeed," Alice beamed.

"I think if you hug him any tighter you might choke him..." Katsu joked.

Alice simply rolled her eyes and hugged Lillipup close to her. Their battle was relatively short, mainly due to her sending out Snivy to take care of it. Lillipup seemed rather content in her arms and was wagging his tail as she cradled him. Katsu chuckled softly to himself and looked down at Riolu tho was tugging his pant leg.

'What's up?'

'She's interesting...one moment she's a little tempermental, the next she's cradling that Lillipup like a child...' Riolu pointed out.

'Yeah...I know, she's odd isn't she?'

'Yep...and I get the strange feeling it's going to get even more odd. By the way...she's pretty, good choice of companionship...'

'Uh...what's that supposed to mean?'

'Huh? She's not your mate?'

'NO. She's a friend, I think...'

'Ah, my mistake. Anyway, she seems nice...at times. Keep her.'

Katsu rolled his eyes and shook his head, glancing back over at Alice who seemed to be scratching Lillipup's tummy. The puppy was simply loving it.

'I have one more question...you do more than sword play right? I could tell that you studied martial arts to a degree. Why?'

Katsu thought about it for a moment as he looked down at Riolu. A soft smile crossed his features as he formulated his answer.

'Well...most do it for the sake of power. Some say that Martial Arts was developed only for the strong. But that's not really it at all. Anyone can do Martial Arts given the proper training. The weak can fight against the strong with it. The entire experience is breathtaking the say the least. But...I didn't learn it just to look good. I learned it because I found fulfillment in it. The concept was appealing to me and I loved learning.' Katsu replied.

'Also...it puts me at ease when I train. It opens my mind to new avenues I never knew were there before. I guess that's why I could sense you...I don't know. My goal...is to not only become a great Martial Artists...but to be a strong trainer as well. Becoming Champion would be nice, but for now...I'm going to develop myself more before taking that step...'

'I see...so in essence, you don't want to selfishly use your talents...you study it not simply because it makes you stronger but because you find a greater purpose in it. In other words...it's your way of life?'

'That's one way to put it. I guess you could say I was searching for myself and I found that in Martial Arts. It sounds cheesy I know...but that's really how I felt about it. I feel alive when I do this. I was having the time of my life sparing against you back there, even though you kinda kicked my butt...' Katsu chuckled.

'Heh...you're not all that bad for a human. I was surprised you were able to react so quickly. If you were a Pokemon, I probably would have had a more difficult time...your reactions aren't natural...' Riolu sweat-dropped.

"Katsu? I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes, have you gone deaf?" Alice asked impatiently.

"Eh? Sorry, I wasn't listening. I guess I sorta...spaced out again?" Katsu lied, or tried to anyway.

"Uh, huh...right...look just try to pay attention. I have been trying to tell you that we are almost to Asperita City and I wanted to know if you had any plans for staying in the rooms at the Pokemon Center? The gym is probably closed down right now so we won't get to battle until the next morning,"

Katsu exchanged a glance with Riolu, both of them raising a brow before looking back at Alice.

"Sure, I mean...I could always stay at my house, since I kinda...you know...live there?" Katsu laughed.

"Wait...you're from Asperita? Well isn't that convenient. Then I insist you introduce me to your mother," Alice stated firmly.

"Say what now?" Katsu inquired.

'Yeah, say what now?' Riolu parroted.

"You heard me, shouldn't you introduce your companions to your parents? They ought to know who their son is hanging out with right?"

Katsu sweat-dropped at this remark. This was going to be interesting to explain to his mother. A sigh escaped his lips as he nodded.

"I suppose, I know you're going to insist on it once we get there. Though I'm not sure if she'll be there...she's super busy. She's probably in Virbank right now..." Katsu thought, tapping his chin.

"Wait...your last name is Aiko...would your mother happen to be...Jennifer Aiko?!"

Katsu blinked and turned his head towards her, nodding.

"Yeah, why?"

"She's the hair stylist and costume designer for the entire movie industry! She even co-writes sometimes. She's amazing! What a small world we live in."

"Err...right, well it seems you already know her, so there isn't any need to introduce you."

"Oh no you don't, I may have seen her around but I never really got to talk to her. She is busy like you say."

Katsu sighed and looked over at Riolu.

'I'm never gonna win am I?'

'Sadly...I was never trained to handle women...you're on your own here...'

'Thanks Riolu...' Katsu grumbled.

"Well, here we are," Alice said as she pointed to the sign that said Asperita City.

"Heh...I wasn't anticipating having to stop here so soon. I almost forgot there was a gym opening up here. Or rather...it already did."

"We'll challenge that tomorrow. Right now, let's get things sorted out at the Pokemon Center and then we'll go check in with your mother," Alice grinned.

 **X-X-X**

"Hugh? Care to explain why you left in such a hurry? I was afraid you weren't going to come back and at least say goodbye," Hugh's mother stated, tapping her foot impatiently as she spoke.

"Yeah, big brother, you should know better than that."

Hugh sighed and rubbed the back of his head, not exactly expecting the temporary 'welcome back' to be like this.

"I thought I said I'd be back after I caught some Pokemon for the new gym..." Hugh mumbled.

"You did say that...but you still could have at least said goodbye. Your sister tried to catch up to you to give you the map chip but you were so far gone you didn't hear her. We had to give it to Katsu to give to you."

"Well, I got it didn't I?" Hugh muttered.

"Yes, you did...but please son, I'm your mother, not some stranger. At least say goodbye to me before you go. Okay?"

"Alright, I'm sorry mom..."

"Good boy, now...you mentioned challenging the gym tomorrow? Cheren usually gets there around nine in the morning so get up early if you plan to train."

"I will mom...thanks," Hugh said with a soft smile.

"I love you son, now go get some rest."

"Ni ni big brother."

"Night sis."

 **X-X-X**

"So your name is Alice? And you said your father's name was Alistar Eleanora? Ah...yes, he helps with the scripts and assists Mr. Stu Deeoh quite often. He's a hard worker," Jennifer said with a soft smile as she raised a cup of hot cocoa to her lips.

"I must say, it's an honor meeting you. The designs you make are simply stunning. I even bought a few clothes you'd created for myself," Alice chirped.

"So I see. I'm glad you like them, I wasn't sure how they turned out or if the public would like them at all. I'm glad to see someone does," Jennifer laughed.

"So...Katsu, you didn't mention that you'd be back so soon. And you brought this lovely young lady home...is there something you're not telling me son?" Jennifer grinned.

"Not you too Mom..." Katsu grimaced.

"What do you mean 'not you too?' Who else said that?" Jennifer wondered.

"Nevermind, it's nothing," Katsu said nervously.

"In any case, she's a very polite young lady. You two seem to get along rather well."

"Oh please, you flatter me," Alice cooed.

'Help...me...' Katsu called to Riolu.

'I told you already, you're on your own...'

"Anyway, Katsu, looks like you've got some wonderful teammates. That Purrloin is simply beautiful. Her fur shines brilliantly. And I see you're taking care of your Rufflet. He and Purrloin seem to favor your shoulder. That's cute," Jennifer giggled.

"And what have we here? Riolu huh? It looks like he's taken a liking to you as well. I'll have to inform Aria about this. Riolu are also very unique Pokemon and there is so much to study about them," Jennifer smirked.

'You should have seen how I got him...' Katsu snickered mentally.

"So, the gym tomorrow is it?"

"Yep, Katsu and I and possibly Hugh, if he's here, will be challenging Cheren."

"Excellent, I'll come watch! I don't have to do much until later in the day anyway so I'll definitely come and cheer you all on," Jennifer smiled.

"I'd love that Mom..." Katsu yawned.

"Well, I think it's time I turned in. They had me running to and fro at the studio. Tomorrow they're starting the filming for the new movie Riolu Man. Though...I'm a little worried about the actor. I'll get into that later though...good night you two," Jennifer stated, standing up to hug Katsu before kissing his cheek.

"Good night Mrs. Aiko," Alice said with a curtsey.

"Good night to you too Alice, keep my boy out of trouble."

"Mom!"

"Oh shush, you get into as much trouble as your father does so don't even start," Jennifer giggled.

With that, Alice and Katsu left his house and the two walked into the Pokemon Center to get their rooms. Katsu walked into his and Alice hers. He sighed softly as he fell back onto the soft mattress, releasing his team so they could get some rest with him. Purrloin claimed a spot near Katsu's tummy since he slept on his side, and Rufflet fluttered down onto one of the pillows and nesteled himself into it. Riolu jumped up there as well and leaned back near Purrloin who crawled across his lap and sprawled out. With that, Kastu was out like a light.

Alice had gone to bed after taking a shower, something she almost never did without before going to bed. She folded up her clothes and put them in a hamper before taking a new set out of her air tight bag. She laid out her clothes for the morning and dropped her bath robe, slipping her underwear and bra on before pulling a T-shirt over her head. She then climbed into bed and went straight to sleep.

 _ **And that's a wrap! Katsu now has a Riolu! I know some of you are thinking, 'you must like that evolutionary line.' You would be correct, I like Lucario, he's one of my favorites and not because you get an insta-mega in X and Y. I liked him long before that was announced. In most of the games Riolu was always on my team. You might say I have a bit of an attachment to the little guy, but I mean...who wouldn't? He's Riolu. Anyway, that about does it for this chapter. They each have their third Pokemon and next up is the battle. As you may have noticed, I'm taking it a bit slower with the gym matches mainly because this game had a ton of content in it and I cannot pass it up. I hope you enjoyed it! Next episode is coming up soon!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Aloha! (I have too much fun sometimes...can't you tell?) Anyway, how is everybody? Last chapter was a bit different than what I'd originally thought of doing. So, those of you who enjoyed the back and forth between Lucario and Tadashi in my other fic, you'll see similar banter here with Riolu and Katsu. Not sure if you all caught this, but Katsu caught some slow evolving Pokemon, save for Purrloin that is. I did this because in my last fic, a lot of them were evolving one after another. I wanted to give Katsu time to nurture his Pokemon a bit before they evolved, hence the friendship concept with Riolu and the dragon level evolution of Rufflet (seriously, the freaking thing evolves at level 54...that's like...four levels after Shelgon evolves into Salamence, seriously Gamefreak? So yeah, the cute little feathery eaglet will be around a while. Anywho, that being said, how about we get right on it?!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**_

 _ **Chapter 4: Power of The Basics**_

Morning came, and as usual, Katsu was wide awake and meditating. Riolu sat across from him, wanting a better connection with his new trainer, hence the meditation on his part. Purrloin slept lazily on the bed and Rufflet was now sitting on the desk next to Katsu's bed in the Pokemon Center. Purrloin stretched and yawned before sitting up to watch her trainer. She was mildly curious as to what he and Riolu were doing. Katsu could feel Riolu's aura arcing around his own. It was a rather strange feeling to say the least.

'So...today's the day huh?' Riolu stated, opening one eye to get a glimpse of Katsu as he concentrated.

'Yeah...it's going to be tough since it's my first gym battle. I formulated a strategy though...considering I found out just what Cheren uses. I should have guessed it since I live here. He uses Normal-types. It should be pretty clear what I'm going to do...'

'Use me as a beat stick?'

'Huh? Well when you put it that way it sounds like I'm abusing your type advantage...maliciously...but that's not the case...' Katsu replied.

'I see...so, where do I fall in on the lineup?'

'Hmmm...might wanna save you for last. I don't want to show my hand just yet. If you have an ace...never let them know, you know?'

'Good thinking...I take it I'll be battling his toughest then eh? Should be fun...'

'Yeah, that's the gist of it...hence why we're up doing this now. I want to make sure I can keep this steady mental connection going. It will be to our advantage if the leader doesn't know our plans. It's too bad I can't do this with every one of my Pokemon or I might just utilize it more...' Katsu mumbled.

'Heh...what was that saying? With great power, comes great responsibility?'

'Yep...and I would be completely tempted to mess with every trainer's head if I could direct all my Pokemon via telepathy...it'd be a scream for me...not so much for them though...'

'You seem to have a good head on your shoulders Katsu...don't lose it...' Riolu stated, lashing out a knife hand which Katsu promptly blocked, causing Riolu to smirk.

'Good, you felt it coming...'

'You sort of announced it...' Katsu grinned as he opened his eyes.

'Touche...'

 **X-X-X**

Alice was also awake the morning, carefully fixing her hair as she always did. Sometimes, she hated it. It looked as though Rapunzel's hair and Goldilock's hair got together and created this monstrosity. Sometimes it was just infuriating. After she had everything just right she got dressed. She slipped on a dark blue button-down jacket with a white button-up shirt beneath it, tucked inside a dark blue skirt with a black strap around the waist. She wore her black boots as usual as they were her all purpose. They looked fashionable and could do well on most terrain. What? She wanted all purpose shoes, she got them.

After applying light makeup, she turned around to face her team. Lillipup was sprawled out on the bed with his tummy in the air. Snivy was just waking up, rubbing her eyes as she looked up at her trainer, a faint smile resting on her tired features. Mareep was also just waking up, looking over at her trainer happily.

"Morning you three...Lillipup, it's time to wake up."

Lillipup's eyes popped open as he heard his trainer's call. He rolled over, wagging his tail happily before leaping into her open arms. Alice caught him an cradled him like she'd done before. Lillipup stuck his tongue out as his tummy was scratched, showing he appreciated the attention.

"Alright, Snivy, Lillipup, Mareep, we have a gym battle today. It's going to be our first so let's do our best okay? If we want to get our name out there we need to get past the first obstacle. Cheren's a pretty strong leader from what I've heard. But we're a strong team, and we're gonna show everyone just how strong we are!" Alice grinned.

Her team all nodded at this proclamation fully prepared to aid their trainer in her conquest.

 **X-X-X**

"Hugh, are you awake yet?" Hugh's mother called up to him.

"Yeah, I'll be right down Mom, just working on something here!"

"Okay honey! Just make sure to come down and eat okay?!"

"Alright!"

Hugh sighed as he closed the door to his room. He glanced over at Oshawott who was sitting on top of his desk, having a small conversation with Pidove and Patrat.

"You three ready for the gym match today?"

Patrat, Pidove and Oshawott all looked at each other and then nodded.

"Good...we're all going to get stronger after this. I can feel it. I want everyone to give it their all out there, even if the odds aren't looking good."

The three Pokemon all nodded in agreement again, causing a smile to curve onto Hugh's features. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he turned to look at the clock. It was 8:30 which meant he would need to be at the gym in half an hour. The scent of his mother's pancakes was driving him nuts at this point, so he figured he'd get them while they were hot. He darted downstairs and into the kitchen to sit at the table.

"Someone's hungry."

"Well, you do make the best pancakes Mom."

"Thanks sweetie, I love when you say that."

"Big brother? Are you gonna fight Cheren today?" His sister inquired, looking at him curiously.

"Yep, and I'm gonna win. I stayed up most of the night going over strategies. I even went over battles that I've already had to see if I could learn from them. I'll need to see if I can get some pointers from Katsu on aerial combat though...he's way better at it than I am."

"Well, he does have that Rufflet...a shiny one I might add. I'm surprised people haven't asked him to trade for it. I doubt he'll part with it since he hatched it himself."

"Nope, not a chance Mom. He and that Rufflet are inseparable..."

"Like you and Oshawott. You raised him from an egg too big brother."

"Yep, and he's only going to get stronger...we'll all get stronger..." Hugh said with a determined look.

"Well, you'd better get going, the gym opens in about fifteen minutes and if I'm not mistaken, Katsu is here too along with another young girl, you don't suppose he's..."

"Mom...he's not. I'm pretty sure his mother already asked him that too...' Hugh deadpanned.

'Right...right, I'd just be a bit shocked is all, after all he's a bit shy at times...to me anyway," Hughs mother laughed.

"Well, he's not shy around this one...and for good reason...they seem to act like siblings..."

"That bad?"

"Pretty much..."

Hugh finished the last of his meal and stood up, making his way towards his room so he could collect his team. After a few minutes he came back downstairs and was ready to head out the door.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu stood by the gym doors as he waited for it to open up. It looked as though it were a school building or something. There was a sign posted on side of the building with some information about the gym.

'Here at the Asperita Gym, we teach young trainers the importance of the basics of Pokemon battling. Like a home without a strong foundation, a strategy can fall apart easily. Here, we kick-start everyone with the knowledge they need to start their journey and create a strong foundation for their own battling style. Sometimes we all just need to go back to the basics. Battling is mostly about strategy, but it's also about having fun, so don't forget that aspect of it.'

Katsu finished reading the sign and looked up to see the doors open. Several students were walking into the building. Katsu remembered learning all about Pokemon when he was around the age of the kids he saw walking into the gym. He couldn't help but smile as the thoughts of the younger version of himself crossed his mind. Before the place had been turned into a gym, it was the school he attended when he was little.

He remembered his mother taking him there every day, even though he could just go by himself since it was right near his house. A smile rested on his features as the nostalgia washed over him.

"Katsu!" Alice's voice called out to him, prompting him to turn around to see her coming up to him.

"Morning..." Katsu chuckled, catching sight of her outfit as she stopped at his side.

"Morning to you too. Seems you're rather happy this morning."

"Yep...first gym battle, and also, I used to go to this school before it became a gym so, I'm a little excited. Okay...I'm very excited, but that's not the point."

"I think I get it Katsu," Alice giggled.

"Oi, Katsu!" Hugh called out, waving to Katsu as he walked their way.

"Well, hi to you too Hugh..." Alice muttered.

"Sorry Alice..."

"It's fine, just try to be more gentleman-like. It's rude not to address a lady."

"Duly noted..." Hugh said with a sigh, turning to Katsu with a smirk.

"Ready for today?" Hugh inquired, looking up at the gym with interest.

"Do you even need to ask? We went to this school when we were kids. We were born ready for this," Katsu laughed.

Alice simply stood there and watched the two friends joke with one another. She felt somewhat left out at this point. She'd gone to a rather expensive school, but she was never really one that made friends easily. Then again, if she did, she hardly had much time due to her other duties. Sometimes she'd help her father on certain scenes, fill certain roles, things of that nature. She loved the attention it got her and the recognition everywhere she went. It made her feel important and got her lots of neat things.

As she watched two childhood friends simply chatting it up, she realized she didn't really have that. For the first time, Alice felt a bit out of place. Which was why she was thankful when the doors to the gym opened once more to reveal Cheren who was coming out to greet the last of the students.

"Are you three challengers?" Cheren asked curioiusly.

"Yep, we are!" Katsu said excitedly.

"Perfect, you don't know how relieved I am to hear that. I've been up all night trying to prepare a lesson plan for these kids...I couldn't really figure out what to tell them. Perhaps showing them a gym battle will help them. For many of them, this will be their first time seeing a gym battle."

"Well, we'd be happy to help," Alice beamed.

"Sounds good to me, as long as it makes me and my team stronger, I'm up for it!" Hugh said as he raced inside the building, Katsu and Alice following behind.

Katsu walked through the classroom, his eyes scanning the walls only for them to be directed at the chalk board.

"Hey Katsu, remember when we used to draw on that after class? We'd get into some serious trouble because of the faces we drew. It was funny though..." Hugh laughed.

"Yeah...we were pretty stupid back then weren't we?" Katsu laughed.

A middle-aged woman was sitting behind the desk near the chalkboard looking over her notes for the students before her. Her eyes caught sight of Katsu and Hugh and a faint smile crossed her visage. She knew those two very well indeed. They were good kids, troublemakers at times, but good kids nonetheless.

"Good morning Katsu, Hugh, keeping out of trouble I see?" The teacher inquired, getting a slight chuckle out of the two.

"Pretty much, we're not the same kids you had to put in the corner on a near regular basis Miss Jennine." Hugh grinned.

"That was mainly you Hugh...Katsu was fine, for the most part..." Miss Jennine stated, glancing over at Katsu with a smile.

"Err...yeah...I remember now," Hugh mumbled.

"So, you were their instructor?" Alice inquired.

"Yes, I taught them from when they were eight years old and now they seem to be fine young men. I can tell they've matured quite a lot. It's nice to see they've made acquaintances with someone like yourself Miss Eleanora."

"Y-you know me?" Alice replied, having almost forgotten her film reputation.

"Of course, your previous debut was magnificent. You really are gifted."

"Th-thank you," Alice blushed, straightening her glasses a little as she turned to the two boys.

"Well, shall we head back into the gym?" Alice suggested.

"Oh, you three are challenging Cheren? Wonderful, he was telling me how much he hoped to get challengers at some point. This will be a treat for the kids here. They've been eagerly awaiting a day like this."

The doors to the gym opened up, revealing Jennifer and Melanie, Hugh's Mom alongside his little sister, Jill. Katsu turned around to see his mother and smiled softly. Jill ran up to Hugh and hugged him tightly, prompting Hugh to pick her up.

"Looks like we made it just before it began huh?" Jennifer laughed.

"We sure did, now, let's get in there and cheer our boys on, and the young lady of course. Alice, was it? I believe I recognize you from a few movies that have come out recently. Amazing work by the way, I love what you do," Melanie chuckled.

"Thanks, it's nothing really," Alice said, playing the modesty card for a change, though it never really worked all that often.

The six of them went straight into the gym, Hugh's mother and sister along with Katsu's mother, stood on the sidelines as the three challengers deliberated who would go first.

"Well, since this is your home town...I think the two of you ought to go before me. I want to get a feel for the leader and his strategy before I battle. A great trainer like myself, must be prepared after all don't you think?" Alice smirked.

"You keep riding the coat-tails of that word and we'll just do our thing," Katsu laughed.

"Hey! I have every right to say such things thank you very much!"

Hugh rolled his eyes and looked over at Katsu.

"Well, who first? You or me?" Hugh inquired.

"Eh, doesn't matter. How about you first? I'll take a chapter out of Alice's book...and sit back as well. Knock'em dead Hugh."

"Sure thing Katsu," Hugh said as he made his way onto the battle field.

Katsu sat down next to Alice in the stands, his mother sitting behind him along with Hugh's mom and sister as the match began. Hugh carefully went over the strategies he'd planned in his head. He knew the type of Pokemon Cheren had which would be to his advantage.

"This gym battle will be between Asperita City Gym Leader Cheren and the challenger, Hugh! This will be a three on three battle where only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon. The challenger will have the first move, ready? Begin!" The referee called out.

"Alright Pidove, let's go!" Hugh said as he tossed out his first Pokemon.

"A Pidove huh? Alright...how about I send out my Pidove as well!" Cheren called out, sending out his own Pidove.

'This just got interesting...' Katsu thought as he watched both Pidove stare at one another.

"Err...how do we know which one to keep up with?" Jill asked curiously.

"That's easy, Cheren's Pidove is a female, and Hugh's is a male, their coloration differs quite a bit. Cheren's is a little lighter in color while Hugh's is darker," Madeline explained.

"Pidove, Quick Attack!" Hugh commanded.

"Evade and use Gust!" Cheren countered.

Hugh's Pidove rose up above the arena and shot forwards, accelerating by folding in his wings to make himself more aerodynamic. Cheren's Pidove simply waited for Hugh's Pidove, biding her time until he finally was within reach. She dodged his assault and spun around, using her small wings to whip up a powerful gust that sent Hugh's Pidove sprawling out of control.

"Hit him with your own Quick Attack!"

Cheren's Pidove chirped loudly and rocketed down towards the struggling Pidove. Using the wind she'd created from her gust to her advantage, she'd boost herself through, aiming to hammer Hugh's Pidove in the back. Fortunately he saw it and pulled into a barrel roll, placing himself directly above her and upside down.

"Use Gust and close in with Quick Attack!" Hugh called out.

Hugh's Pidove spun out of his position and faced Cheren's Pidove, releasing a blast of wind energy towards her, causing her to go flying backwards through the air, the sharp winds scraping her up in the process after taking a gust to the face. Hugh's Pidove took advantage of the moment and darted in swiftly, clipping Cheren's Pidove's wing, causing the little dove to plummet towards the arena. She tried to pull herself together but landed with a loud thud, the impact knocking her out.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Hugh's Pidove wins!" The referee stated.

"That was a close one there Hugh, I thought I had that one in the bag for a second."

"I wasn't going to let you get me that easily!" Hugh called out.

"Well, let's see how you deal with this, Patrat, let's go, Work Up!"

A Patrat appeared onto the field, his body glowing with crimson energy as he commenced a Work Up right out of the Pokeball. Hugh cringed a little at this, considering it was a power-up move which meant the attacks would be more potent.

"Pidove, move in with Quick Attack!"

"Sand Attack!"

Pidove dove down from the skies at accelerated speeds, aiming for his prey as he descended. Patrat waited for the opportune moment and just as Pidove got close enough, he kicked up sand from the gym floor and created a dust cloud. Pidove panicked and flapped his wings furiously as he began to look around for his intended target.

"Crunch!"

Before Pidove could even react, Patrat came from the cloud of dust and latched onto him with his powerful teeth and bit down hard. Pidove lost control in the air and came crashing down Patrat on top of him. Pidove was down for the count.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Patrat wins!"

Hugh returned Pidove to his Pokeball and looked over at Cheren's Patrat. It was already powered up from the Work Up right out of the ball. His eyes shifted over towards the stands where several students, as well as Miss Jennine came to watch.

"This is awesome!" One student commented.

"Wow, I wanna be able to battle like that!" Another said excitedly.

All of them were talking amongst one another and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hugh chuckled to himself as he remembered seeing his first battle. He could almost picture himself among the children. But right now, he wasn't there, he was on the battle field and that's where he felt he belonged. Hugh picked up his own Patrat's ball and gripped it tight.

"Patrat, let's go!"

Cheren blinked as he saw that Hugh had another one of his Pokemon on the field. This was rather strange, considering he was the one who mainly used Normal-types. A chuckle left his lips as he looked over at Hugh.

"Is this a mirror match or something? Because this is rather fun."

"I guess I just happened to have the same Pokemon you had, I don't know how it worked out that way, Cheren."

"No big deal, let's just continue having fun shall we? Kids, I hope you're watching closely. Sometimes you'll be fighting against someone who has the same Pokemon you do and in those situations, a good strategy comes in handy. Keep a close eye on our battle."

"Patrat, use Crunch!" Cheren called out.

"Detect!" Hugh countered.

Cheren's Patrat raced towards Hugh's Patrat, dark energy shrouding his large pointed tooth. A gleam appeared in Hugh's Patrat's eye and with a simple sidestep, he parried the Crunch attack with no difficulty.

'I can't afford any mistakes here. That Patrat is one step ahead of me after that Work Up. Bide won't work in this situation...honestly it's a stupid move and he'll probably just wait it out...or knock him out before the move gets its full effect...my only chance is my defensive strategy...' Hugh thought as he looked back at Cheren.

"Patrat. Super Fang!" Cheren ordered.

"Sand Attack then use bite!"

Cheren's Patrat lunged at Hugh's Patrat only to get a face full of dust. Cheren's Patrat began to rub his eyes after the blast in the face. With the moment of distraction present, Hugh's Patrat darted in and bit Cheren's Patrat harshly, causing him to get the lucky flinch.

"Bite one more time and then tackle!" Hugh called out.

Hugh's Patrat complied and bit down again before ramming his body into Cheren's Patrat. Cheren's Patrat struggled to pull itself up but his legs were too shaky, thus, due to fatigue, he fell over, unable to continue.

"Patrat is unable to battle! Hugh's Patrat wins!" The referee declared.

"That was a good strategy Hugh, using the strength I had to your advantage to avoid taking damage. You took some risks and it paid off. But how will you fare against this?"

Cheren took out his final Pokeball and threw it onto the field. Energy burst from the contents and revealed a Herdier. This was going to be difficult, considering none of Hugh's Pokemon were evolved nor were anyone else's. Well, never did it say the Gym Leaders had to make it easy. This was a test of strength and skill. A trainer would be pushed to their absolute limit and forced to think outside the box almost all the time. Now Hugh faced a Herdier, and a good strategy was a must.

"Herdier, Take Down!"

"Detect!"

Herdier barked and lunged forth, gaining speed as he raced towards Patrat with vicious intent. Patrat stayed focused on Herdier's positioning. He counted down in his head as the large canine neared him. After a second or two more, he sidestepped, parrying the Take Down attack, turning to face Herdier.

"Herdier, Leer!"

"Sand Attack, Patrat!"

Herdier lowered its stance, glaring towards Patrat as he stared him down. However, before the move could take effect, sand kicked up before him, getting in his eyes which wasn't a very pleasant experience. Patrat had avoided the disorienting effects of Leer but that didn't mean his defensive drop wasn't active. Hugh needed to exercise caution here.

"Patrat, move in with Bite!"

"Take Down!"

Patrat took the lead and darted in towards Herdier, his mouth wide open and ready to take a bite out of Herdier. The larger canine was still shaking the sand from his eyes at this point. This wouldn't deter him completely. His ears twitched as he heard Patrat coming in close. Guessing his opponent's position, Herdier threw himself at Patrat, surprising the oncoming chipmunk as he rammed his body full force into Patrat, sending him into the ground, out cold. Herdier winced after that attack, taking a good amount of damage due to recoil.

"Patrat is unable to battle, Herdier wins!"

Hugh sighed and returned Patrat to his Pokeball. A small smile crossed his features as he looked down at his newest partner. He'd done really well, they all had. Now it was time for Oshawott to finish the job. A smirk appeared on his face as he picked up is first Pokemon's ball and threw it onto the field.

Oshawott popped out of the ball, glancing over at Herdier with a determined look on his face. He and Hugh had plenty of tough battles and this would be no different. right now, he was staring into the face of the one thing standing in their way of the badge. Herdier.

"Oshawott, Water Gun!"

"Take Down!"

Oshawott reared his head back, aquatic energies bubbling in his mouth as he powered up. At the right moment, he fired a steady stream of water at Herdier who avoided it, gaining speed as he lunged for Oshawott. The little otter waited a moment before dodging the oncoming canine, turning to await more orders.

"Razor Shell!"

Oshawott took the tiny shell from his stomach and channeled the essence of water directly into it, imbuing it with the power of one of nature's strongest elements. He then flung it forcefully and with great precision. The shell flew through the air and collided with Herdier's side, knocking the canine over, sending him skidding across the gym floor. The shell returned to Oshawott who caught it.

"Finish up with Water Gun!"

"Evade it and use Take Down!"

Herdier tried to get up, but due to the recoil damage it had already taken, plus the power that was behind the Razor Shell attack, he wasn't able to do anything but take a full powered water gun to the face, knocking him out for the count.

"Herdier is unable to battle! Oshawott wins and the match goes to Hugh!"

"YES!" Hugh cheered as Oshawott jumped up to hug his trainer.

"We did it Oshawott!" Hugh said excitedly.

The little otter beamed happily after having won the match for his trainer.

"Well done Hugh, you've earned this," Cheren said as he walked over to him and handed him the Basic Badge.

"Thanks Cheren, that was a tough fight. You shocked me with Herdier."

"Well, you seemed to have a strategy ready for him, that's what this gym is all about. Basic strategy, and yours was quite a good one," Cheren laughed.

"Well, I'm gonna heal up and I'll be back for the next challenge. Shouldn't take me too long, be right back."

"That was wonderful sweetheart!" Melanie said with a bright smile.

"Way to go big brother!" Jill giggled, hugging Hugh tightly.

"Thanks, it was a rough fight."

"Nice battle Hugh, looks like I'm up next," Katsu smirked.

"Oi, you better not lose Katsu, remember our goal," Hugh grinned.

"Well, I must say, that was an impressive fight Hugh. You're not as weak as I thought you were, well done," Alice smirked.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hugh grumbled.

"I think she means, you've really improved, keep up the good work..." Katsu muttered.

Alice rolled her eyes. Couldn't anyone take a compliment without translating her words?

"So, Katsu, what strategy have you prepared for this match?" Jennifer inquired, getting a smirk from her son.

"I can't tell you that Mom. You'll just have to wait and see like the others."

"Oh? Going to surprise us huh? Well then, I can't wait," Jennifer grinned.

Cheren soon returned, his three Pokeballs in tow as he walked confidently into the gym. Katsu readied himself mentally before walking onto the arena floor.

"Go get'em Katsu!" Everyone cheered as he stepped onto his side of the arena.

"This battle is between Asperita City Gym Leader; Cheren and the challenger; Katsu! This will be a three on three battle! Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. The challenger has the first move! Begin!" The referee shouted.

"Patrat, let's go!"

"Purrloin, you're up!"

Patrat appeared on the field once more, his eyes staring at his opponent who was licking her fur clean at the moment. Purrloin looked over at Patrat with a devious grin and turned to face her challenge. Her tail flicked to and fro, showing she was anticipating a fun match. Hugh could tell that Katsu trained Purrloin more after her first battle. She seemed more confident than she was before.

"Fury Swipes!"

"Patrat, Crunch!"

Purrloin darted in, her cat-like agility giving her a speed advantage. She lunged for Patrat, her claws out, ready to turn Patrat into a scratching post. Patrat narrowly avoided the attack and clamped down hard on her tail, securing his hold so she wouldn't be able to shake him off. Purrloin hissed in pain and glared back at Patrat.

"Sand Attack!"

Purrloin's ears perked up and she dug her paws into the arena and kicked her forepaws back, blasting Patrat in the face with dust. Patrat got a mouthful as well as an eyeful which wasn't going to be good for him later on.

"Now, use Fury Swipes!"

"Evade and use Crunch Again!"

Patrat was still trying to get the sand out of his eyes. He spat the sand from his mouth and shook his head vigorously. His vision was blurry so he couldn't exactly see where Purrloin was coming from. Suddenly, out of the dust, Purrloin jumped him, her claws tearing at his fur viciously as she loosed a furious assault on him. Patrat fell onto his back afterwards, struggling to stand.

"End it with Feint Attack!"

This was a game that Purrloin loved to play. Her body practically faded from view, causing Patrat to look around worriedly. Cheren sweat-dropped at this, considering he knew how tricky Purrloin could be. Purrloin flickered into view and lashed out at Patrat before he had time to dodge, landing a direct hit and knocking the little chipmunk out for the count.

"Patrat is unable to battle! Purrloin wins!" The referee declared.

"Great work there Katsu. I wasn't expecting it to know Feint Attack. I guess we can't anticipate everything now can we?" Cheren laughed, pulling out his next Pokemon.

"Pidove, let's go!"

Pidove chirped loudly as she appeared on the field. She spread her tiny wings and hovered off the ground, looking down at her opponent. This was one of the classics, Cat vs. Bird. This time, the shoe was on the other foot.

"Pidove, Gust!"

"Sand Attack!"

Purrloin turned tail and kicked sand up towards Pidove. The little dove flapped her wings furiously, sending a blast of wind towards the oncoming sand to blow it apart, eliminating the risk of accuracy loss. The winds blew Purrloin across the field, causing her to use her claws to get a hold on the floor so she wouldn't skid any farther. She felt the sharp winds tearing at her fur, which was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least. She growled up at Pidove defiantly and held her ground.

"Quick Attack!"

"Feint Attack!"

Pidove's superior speed got the better of Purrloin as she rammed her body into the cat after diving downwards, using her acceleration to close in swiftly. Purrloin was knocked across the floor once more, her claws scraping against it as she struggled to stay up. She soon faded from view, remembering her trainer's command, appearing behind Pidove and lashing out at her with claws outstretched. Pidove went spiraling backwards before regaining control of herself after being slashed across the chest.

"Gust and Quick Attack!"

"Fury Swipes!"

Pidove was faster at this point. Before Purrloin could even move, a powerful blast of wind threw her towards the wall. Pidove took this opportunity to dart towards the airborne cat, ramming her body into the cat as Purrloin collided with the wall. Pidove flew away from Purrloin as she fell to the floor unconscious.

"Purrloin is unable to battle! Pidove wins!"

"Great work Purrloin, you deserve a good rest." Katsu returned Purrloin to her ball and picked up his next Pokemon, which was Rufflet.

"Let's go Rufflet!"

The shiny Rufflet burst onto the field with feathers aglow. Every student in the room marveled at the appearance of the small bird of prey. Katsu sweat-dropped at this. Was he going to have this reaction every time he used Rufflet? He could only imagine the reaction he'd get when he evolved. Shaking his head, he turned towards the battle field, even Cheren was looking at it wide-eyed.

"Sorry about this, but where and how did you get that?" Cheren asked curiously.

"You're probably the tenth person who's asked me that. It was a birthday present, an early one. Rufflet hatched on my birthday, yesterday. It just happened to be shiny, I'm not sure how I got so lucky."

"Well, it's a beautiful specimen that's for certain," Cheren complimented.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, now, Pidove, Quick Attack!"

"Wing Attack!"

Pidove wasted no time as she took off, her wings folding in to give her more wind resistance, though there wasn't much to be had in the gym. Her intended target within sight, she accelerated, aiming to ram into him at full force. Seeing this, Rufflet carefully judged his opponent's speed before powering up his wings, rolling to the side before turning to dart towards her, ramming her harshly in the back with a Wing Attack. The blow sent her sprawling towards the floor. Pidove wasn't a bird that could content physically with Rufflet and this proved it.

"Dive and use Peck!"

"Gust!"

Rufflet dove straight down at Pidove, his beak glowing brightly as he aimed for his target. Pidove flapped her wings upwards, creating an upward gust attack which threw Rufflet off track, causing him to experience turbulence mid dive. The rocky dive downwards was a painful one. He managed to get himself out of the path of the Gust, although he took a little more damage than he'd like. He got back on course and dove straight for Pidove once more, his aggressive nature not allowing him to be deterred. His beak rammed right into the chest of Pidove, driving her straight into the floor with a crash. Rufflet rose shakily into the sky and looked down into the cloud of dust. Pidove was lying in a heap, unable to continue.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" The referee announced.

"Impressive, Rufflet are known for being strong and highly aggressive. I read about it but seeing it is way better. He shook of Pidove's Gust and just pile-drived her into the ground. Now for the final challenge...how will you handle Herdier?!" Cheren called out, sending out his final Pokemon.

Katsu glanced up at Rufflet who looked a little worn out from the battle with Pidove. He knew he could still battle, but he didn't want to take the chance. A smirk crossed his features as he held out his arm.

"Come on back Rufflet, you look like you could use a break."

Rufflet nodded and obeyed his parental figure's command, nestling on his shoulder before turning to look at Cheren.

"Alright, let's go partner!" Katsu called out.

The ball opened up and Riolu surged onto the field, standing proudly before his trainer as he faced down Herdier. Cheren was a bit taken aback by this move as it seemed he was now at a type disadvantage. However, he wasn't the Gym Leader for nothing. He had to train to work with these situations.

"A Riolu huh? Looks like I've got my work cut out for me...you just might be my toughest challenge yet Katsu," Cheren smirked.

"I aim to please."

"Herdier, Take Down!"

'Quick Attack...'

Herdier raced towards Riolu with reckless abandon, knowing that even a solid collision could result in damage to himself. However, Riolu unexpectedly flickered from view, moving at rapid speeds before slamming his paw into Herdier's side, sending the canine reeling backwards. Herdier caught himself before he hit the floor and turned to glare at Riolu.

"What was that just now? Did Riolu act on his own accord?" The referee asked, unsure of how to call this one.

"Actually...no, you see, Riolu is called the Emanation Pokemon. It emanates Aura, and if a trainer has a small or large measure of it as well, they can form a mental link through telepathy and thus, commands can be issued that way. They can even understand each other as well, it's pretty neat..." Katsu chuckled.

"So that's what you were doing back there!" Alice shouted furiously.

"Oops...I forgot about that..." Katsu sweat-dropped.

"That's remarkable, it's going to be hard to counter but I'll give it a shot. Herdier, Bite!"

'Vacuum Wave.'

Herdier charged forward, lunging at Riolu, missing his mark as Riolu jumped above him, whirling his arms around as he twisted in the air. Riolu then fired the powerful blast of energy towards Herdier. The attack split the air as it collided with Herdier, creating a shockwave that blasted him backwards, sending him bouncing and sliding across the arena floor. Herdier struggled to get up and regained his composure, shaking the damage off a little as he glared at Riolu.

'Force Palm...'

Riolu took off towards Herdier, his palm glowing with the aura of his body as he aimed to ram it into Herdier.

"Dodge and use Take Down!"

Herdier waited until Riolu was close enough and narrowly avoided the powerful strike as it slammed into the ground, the pulse from the follow-up effect causing Herdier to slide back a little before he charged. Herdier rammed into Riolu full force, sending the little bipedal canine skidding across the floor, struggling to maintain his balance. Herdier was definitely strong. The damage Riolu took was more than he anticipated in Herdier's weakened state. Herdier flinched from the recoil as he breathed heavily. Both he and Riolu looked a bit worn out.

"Herdier, charge in with Take Down again, let's end this quickly!"

'Force Palm...then use Vacuum Wave.'

Herdier charged forth wildly, not really caring that he would take damage on the recoil. Riolu remained standing where he was, his palm glowing with aura as he shot it forward, making direct contact with Herdier's forehead. The aftershock sent Herdier flying backwards, bouncing hard on the arena floor. An electric current arced across his body, signalling he'd been paralyzed. Riolu jumped high in the air and fired a Vacuum Wave onto the helpless Herdier. A yelp was heard just before the explosion. When the dust settled, Herdier was seen lying unconscious.

"Herdier is unable to battle! Riolu wins, the match goes to Katsu!" The referee announced.

"That's my boy!" Jennifer cheered.

Katsu blushed at his mother's words and turned to face Riolu who came walking back up to him.

'That was fun. That Herdier hurts though...' Riolu muttered.

'Well...he is a Gym Leader Pokemon, they're all strong like that.'

'Really? Well then, if they're all that challenging, I'd better get stronger, right?'

'Yep...and pretty soon you'll evolve. But for right now, I like you the way you are.'

Katsu picked up Riolu and placed him on his shoulder. Rufflet looked over at Riolu, still not comfortable with sharing a ride with another companion, but his father wanted what he wanted so he couldn't complain. At least this one didn't try to pluck his feathers.

"Katsu...I've been trying to speak to you, but it seems you were too busy 'talking' to Riolu. So I'll say it again, congratulations," Alice huffed.

"Oh, sorry...thanks Alice."

"You're welcome, please don't make a habit out of this, it's rude!" Alice shot back.

"Way to go Katsu! That was an awesome battle. You really know your stuff," Hugh smirked.

"Thanks, you did great too Hugh. Now we just need to wait for Alice to fight and we can be on our way."

"Well done Katsu, as a reward for an excellent match, here is the Basic Badge," Cheren smiled, handing Katsu his badge.

"Thanks Cheren, this is the first step towards the Unova League...and I'm going to take it all the way."

"That's great to hear, now if you'll excuse me...I need to go heal."

Cheren left without another word, feeling slightly down about losing again. Then again, he wanted strong opponents. He hoped his students were learning something from the match. The point wasn't just to win, it was to have fun and grow with your Pokemon. Hopefully they all grasped the concept.

After returning, he had all of his Pokemon healed and ready to face Alice.

"Begin!" The referee's voice sounded off.

"Pidove use Gust!"

"Mareep, Thundershock!"

Pidove called upon the power of the wind as she flapped her wings furiously, sending a powerful blast of wind towards Mareep. The sheep seemed undeterred as the blast connected. Mareep skidded back a little before channeling electrical energies through her body before releasing them in a powerful blast, shattering the air as the attack made a solid connection with Pidove's frail frame. Steam rose off of the falling bird's body as she plummeted to the floor.

"Wild Charge!"

Mareep's body once again arced with electrical aura and she took off recklessly, her frame glowing brightly as the electricity crackled around her. She rammed full force into the defenseless bird before it could pull up, sending powerful shocking currents through Pidove's frame, knocking it backwards into the wall and out of commission.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Mareep wins!" The referee declared.

'That was brutal...' Katsu thought as he observed the match.

'Well...you did say she was a strong trainer. Hearing it is one thing, but seeing it first hand is another...' Riolu replied.

"Patrat, you're up!" Cheren called out.

"Mareep, come on back, Lillipup, make me proud!"

Lillipup leapt from Alice's arms and darted onto the field.

"Patrat, Work Up!"

"Lillipup, Work Up!"

'Seriously...how does it know that already?' Katsu thought, sweat-dropping at this development.

"Patrat, Crunch!"

"Lillipup, Take Down!"

Patrat closed in on Lillipup, aiming to sink his tooth into the charging canine. Being the more agile of the two, he was able to sidestep the oncoming Take Down and sink his large tooth into Lillipup's side. Lillipup let out a yelp at the assault and tried to shake Patrat off. He felt a strange wooziness overtake him for a moment. His defenses had fallen.

"Now, Leer!" Cheren called out.

Patrat's eyes gleamed as he glared at Lillipup, causing her to become disoriented and sway a little in place. He staggered a bit before regaining his balance.

"Take Down!"

"Crunch!"

Once more, Lillipup was out-sped by Patrat. The chipmunk sank his massive tooth into Lillipup once more, causing the canine to howl in pain before collapsing in a heap, unable to battle.

"Lillipup is unable to battle! Patrat wins!"

A sigh escaped Alice's lips as she returned Lillipup to his Pokeball.

"It's okay, I'll have you fixed up in no time. Mareep, let's get back out there!"

Mareep surged back onto the field and readied herself. Electrical currents sparked form her horns as she stared down her opponent.

"Patrat, Crunch!"

"Don't move!"

Cheren blinked at this tactic. Was she intentionally going to risk a potential defensive drop? He couldn't tell what her strategy was until the last minute, and it was too late at that point. Patrat's tooth sunk in and an electrical current racked his body, paralyzing him on the spot.

Mareep winced a bit from the bite but didn't let that faze her. She turned around, her horns sparking with electricity as she awaited a command.

"Wild Charge!"

Mareep nodded in confirmation and cloaked her frame in electrical currents. She then rammed her body full force into Patrat who flew backwards, skidding across the arena floor after bouncing a few times.

"Thundershock to end it!"

Mareep charged up and fired a powerful blast of electricity, electrocuting the little chipmunk who was defenseless to avoid it. Patrat passed out afterwards, unable to continue.

"Patrat is unable to battle, Mareep wins!"

Cheren recalled his Patrat and glanced over at Mareep. She was pretty powerful for just a Mareep, which was impressive to say the least. She could generate quite a strong attack. He would hate to see her evolution's power if she was outputting that much damage.

"Great job Mareep!" Alice said happily, placing a hand on her hip with a smirk.

"Herdier, let's go!"

"Mareep, stay in sweetie."

'Mareep has already taken quite a bit of recoil damage...she must be using her as fodder now since she's already tired. It makes sense...saving her last Pokemon for the final fight is a good strategy, she's something else,' Cheren thought.

"Mareep, Wild Charge!"

"Herdier, dodge and use Take Down!"

Mareep rushed forward, cloaking herself in electricity as she stormed across the arena. Herdier took off towards her as well, both of them knowing that a collision between either of them would result in recoil damage. Herdier, taking advantage of his speed, avoided the charge and rammed into Mareep, and surprisingly wasn't paralyzed. The ability Mareep had didn't always work, though her wool body made it easier. Mareep was sent skidding across the floor and stopped, unconscious and unable to continue due to her having taken damage from her own attacks plus a Take Down.

"Mareep is unable to battle! Herdier wins!"

"Great job Mareep. You deserve a nice rest. Snivy, let's go!"

Snivy appeared onto the battle field, her eyes locking onto Herdier to scan for any weak points. From what she could deduce, he'd taken damage from his own attack which she would play to her advantage. Snivy took a battle stance and readied herself for her trainer's orders.

"Herdier, Bite!"

"Vine Whip!"

Herdier rushed towards Snivy, baring his fangs as he intended to sink his teeth into the little green serpent. Snivy smirked as Herdier neared and loosed her vines from her back, the vines latching onto Herdier's ankles, causing him to be tripped up mid-stride.

"Throw him down!"

Snivy obeyed her trainer's call, raising Herdier into the air with a little difficulty due to the weight difference. She then slammed Herdier hard into the arena floor, keeping the vines secured tightly around his ankles.

"Chew your way out!"

"Energy Ball!"

Herdier frantically began to chew the thick vines around his ankles. Getting one of them off, he turned to the other. A verdant orb straight from the essence of nature itself was fired from Snivy's mouth, following the path of the vines that Herdier was trying desperately to get out of.

"Look out!"

It was too late. The blast connected with devastating force, causing a shockwave that sent Herdier flying backwards, bouncing along the ground before coming to a halt, unconscious.

"Herdier is unable to battle! Snivy wins and the victory goes to Alice!"

Alice smirked as she returned Snivy to her ball. She was satisfied with her performance. Her Mareep had taken care of two of the competition and helped weaken the third. She was proud of all of her Pokemon after that display.

"That was a great battle you put on Alice. Your tactics were flawless. That Mareep of yours is tough to handle. And Snivy is powerful...though, one question, how do they already know such strong attacks?" Cheren wondered.

"It's nothing really, just gifts from my father," Alice smirked.

"Ah, I see. Well, nothing wrong with wanting to teach them good moves I suppose. In any case, well done, you've earned the Basic Badge!"

Cheren handed Alice her badge. She placed it in her case and put it in her purse. She turned away from Cheren after curtseying, walking towards her friends with a smirk.

"That was an exciting match to watch," Jennifer commented.

"Indeed, I'd heard from Hugh that you were pretty strong, but that was quite astonishing. Your Mareep has great battle skills," Melanie said with a grin.

"I do take pride in my work. As I said already, to be great, you have to work at it."

"Again with the 'Great' thing...you're never going to get tired of that are you?" Katsu mumbled.

"Nope."

Katsu rolled his eyes and then turned to face his mother.

"Well, it looks like we're done here. Next stop is Virbank City. I'm sure I'll be seeing you there tomorrow. I might stop by the studio after the gym battle to see what you're up to," Katsu said with a soft smile.

"I'd love that actually. Hopefully I won't be too busy. Speaking of which...I should probably get going. I told Mr. Stu Deeoh I'd be there soon. It's almost time for me to go. Love you son! Great job today, you've made me so proud!" Jennifer said happily, pulling her son into a hug before kissing his cheeks twice.

"Thanks Mom, be safe okay?" Katsu smiled, hugging her back with a contented sigh.

"Don't worry, I will. It's you that you need to worry about. Don't get into any trouble, I'm serious Katsu."

"I'll be sure to keep him in line," Hugh laughed.

"That goes double for you mister!" Melanie snapped.

"Hey! I'm not that bad am I?!"

Alice giggled at this scene. She simply shook her head and placed a hand on both boys shoulders as she pressed between them.

"I'll keep an eye on them. Don't worry, if they get into trouble I'll give them a good thump on the head," Alice smirked.

"Thank you Alice, well, I'm off." Jennifer waved.

"See you Mom!" Katsu called out.

Time seemed to fly as the sun began to set. The trio would need to head off for Floccesy Town again if they were to get to Virbank. They weren't sure what to expect along their journey, but something told them there would be surprises around every corner. The group had to stop and set up camp for the night as it was getting too dark to see anything. It had been a long and tiring day for each of them, but they knew that it was all worth it. They had their first badge now. Only seven more to go.

 **Whew! That was a longer than usual one. Sorry about that, my fingers decided to go nuts on the keyboard and well...yeah...this happened. So, the gang got their first badge. Let me know what you thought of each battle! Should I post everyone's battle like this more often? I tried something new this time around so I want to know what you all think. They have their first badge, and now it's time for the fun to really begin! Find out what happens next time on Icy Wrath!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aloha everyone! Mango here with another update to the story! So yeah, last chapter was a bit long, but how was it for you all? I know...I sorta did every battle but that was something new I wanted to try. I felt like in my last fic, I made the other trainer's battles go by rather quickly so I could focus on the main character's fight. I didn't want to undermine the other trainer's ability this time around so I showed their battles as well. Now the team has their first badge and are ready for their next challenge. Also, as a side note, I want to mention something my friend PG-13 brought up. Anyone willing to submit to me an OC, (preferably not someone taking the League Challenge) PM me a description of them. Name, Age, Gender, Pokemon, goals/dreams...etc. Anyway, that being said, let's get this under way!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 5: Distress At The Ranch!**

Katsu was awake at a rather early hour. Alice was asleep and so was Hugh. Katsu took his bokken and walked off into the woods to practice. He held his bokken before him and closed his eyes, concentrating on nothing save for the sounds of nature around him. Katsu used both Shikake Waza and Oji Waza styles in Kendo. Shikake Waza refers to techniques that he himself would initiate while Oji Waza is the opposite, he counterattacks.

He moved his bokken into the Chudan stance, and then thrust it forth with swiftness, stabbing at an imaginary opponent's throat. He then twisted his bokken around once more, arcing his blade at a 45 degree angle for where the shoulder would be. He brought the bokken back to him and assumed a Seigan stance. He continued striking, switching stances to Waki, Gedan and then Hasso, making sure his skills were refined so as not to get rusty.

This was how he relieved his stress. There wasn't any better way for him to do it in his opinion. He needed to keep his mind focused and alert. This was his way. Riolu had followed him into the woods, unbeknownst to Katsu, for so he thought anyway.

 _'Enjoying watching me?'_ Katsu called back to Riolu who stopped in his tracks.

 _'Heh...should have guessed your awareness would be better when you did this...'_

 _'Always is...so, interested in sparing again?'_

 _'Of course Katsu, I'm always ready, you know me.'_

Katsu grinned and took a stance apart from Riolu, staring at him for a moment before lowering into a Seigan stance. Riolu lowered his stance and glanced back at Katsu, focusing on his aura. After a few seconds, dust kicked up and wood collided with paws, creating a pulse of air that rippled through the area.

 **X-X-X**

Alice woke up, hearing what sounded like an explosion echo through the forest. Her attention turned to where Katsu was sleeping, seeing that Riolu was gone and Purrloin was curled up on his sleeping back. Rufflet was now on Katsu's pillow.

 _'I should have guessed...'_ Alice thought, hearing another explosion ring through the forest.

Hugh woke up at the sound of it, his eyes going wide as he heard the explosions.

"What's going on? What's that sound? Is Team Plasma here?!" Hugh demanded, standing up, looking around frantically.

"No dummy...that's just Katsu training with Riolu."

"Huh? But...his Pokemon are right here..."

"Oh, that's right, we never told you how he got Riolu did we? Follow me...I think they're over here..." Alice stated, beckoning Hugh to follow.

Hugh raised a brow and simply followed Alice into the forest to see what was going on.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Riolu were clashing with each other, breaking apart after each strike was made. Katsu avoided an oncoming Vacuum Wave and then darted forwards out of a Chudan stance, thrusting his bokken forwards. Riolu avoided it and aimed a knife hand at Katsu's side who parried it with relative ease.

 _'I see you're predicting is improving...you're making it more difficult than the last time for me to hit you...'_

 _'I can't let you get in too close you know, you're stronger than me so I have to use a different style of kendo...Oji Waza style. Last time I used Shikake Waza which was mostly offensive.'_

 _'You're going to have to explain those terms to me later on...'_

 _'Shikake means to initiate, Oji means to defend.'_

 _'Ah...got it'_

Another pulse of air erupted through the area as their attacks collided. Alice and Hugh were just now coming up on the scene as they pulled back.

 _'Looks like they came to watch...were we being too loud?'_

 _'I think so partner...but then again what did you expect? My bokken clashing with your raw power and our aura adding to it...it was bound to get loud...'_

 _'True...'_

"Is...is Katsu going toe to toe with Riolu? Isn't that a bit...dangerous?" Hugh inquired, sweat-dropping at his thrill seeking friend.

"Well, this is how he caught Riolu. The two dueled and Riolu decided to join him. It was incredible, this seems more intense though...and once again I wish I had my stupid camera!"

"Why would you need it?"

"To film this dummy. My father is looking for a good movie idea after Riolu Man and THIS seems like the perfect footage to show him. Maybe they can spar for him at the theatre..." Alice thought, tapping her chin.

Another explosion rang out, causing them to close their ears.

 _'I think we ought to pause for today. We seem to be getting a bit carried away...'_

 _'Yeah...that last one made a branch fall Katsu...heh...oops.'_

"So Katsu, since when did you spar with Pokemon? I knew you were an adrenaline junkie, but this is a bit extreme."

"Heh...blame Riolu for attacking first. Alice and I were perfectly content in Pledge Grove until he initiated an attack. I'm not mad at him for it though, it was fun."

Riolu nodded in agreement.

"Now I know why your mother worries about you so much Katsu. You probably have given her several heart attacks by now. I wouldn't be surprised if you sent her to an early grave," Alice muttered.

"You're not the only one to say that..." Hugh admitted.

"Eh? Look who's talkin' Hugh. Remember the fights you used to get into? You were grounded more often than I can count," Katsu laughed.

"Says the guy who gave the bully a concussion after he tried to punch you in the gut..." Hugh muttered.

"Hey, that was self defense...not my fault he didn't guard himself..." Katsu grumbled.

"Will you two boys quit arguing? You're like children, I swear!"

Riolu simply snickered to himself and then hopped up on Katsu's left shoulder. He was happy after the training in the morning. The sun was just starting to come up which was a good thing.

The trio went back to the camp and began to pack their things so they could head for Floccesy Town. After packing up, they headed out towards Floccesy Town, considering they didn't have much longer to go.

 **X-X-X**

"What do you want?!" A woman cried out as she backed away from a group of strange looking individuals garbed in what appeared to be black and grey uniforms giving them a more militaristic look. Their mouths were covered and they wore a hat with an 'X' pattern embedded in it.

"It's nothing really, we just want your Pokemon, they must be liberated from you," One of them said with a grin.

"Liberated? They're perfectly fine here, now I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I call the Police!" The woman stated firmly.

"I don't think you're in any position to negotiate. I don't recall ever giving you a choice!"

A slap was heard and the woman fell over, struggling to get up after the impact was made.

"Darlin? What's going on?" The Ranch Owner said as he walked out to see his wife on the ground, glaring at what appeared to be Team Plasma.

"Herdier!" The man called, bringing his companion to his side to protect his wife and himself.

A chuckle came from a female member of Team Plasma as she sent out a Sneasel and a Golbat. The other members sent out Zangoose, Krokorok and Pawniard Team Plasma clearly wasn't going to mess around.

This wasn't looking good. One of the Herdier, recognizing the uniform of the attackers, slipped away silently and ran into town. He knew he needed to find help, and fast.

 **X-X-X**

"And here we are, it looks like it's still early too. That's a relief. We traveled for what, an hour?" Alice said with a soft sigh.

"Something like that," Katsu replied, reaching up to scratch Rufflet's feathers, getting a nip of approval in reply. Riolu took to walking as it seemed Purrloin insisted she ride Katsu's left shoulder.

"So, let's see...if we take Route 20, we should be able to get there by nightfall," Hugh said as he looked at the map.

"That's...gonna take a while. I walked from there to Asperita, it took forever."

"Well, we're at the half way mark, so that's not so bad," Katsu said as he glanced around the Town.

"That's strange...where is everyone?" Katsu wondered.

Alice looked around and saw that there were people peeking out their windows only to close the curtains. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Her eyes shifted towards the other entrance to the town, only to spot a Herdier bounding down the pathway in a panicked state.

Katsu felt it too and turned to face the approaching canine. Herdier skidded to a stop in front of the three and began barking wildly. It started moving back and forth like it was trying to tell them something.

 _'He's saying he needs help. His owners are in trouble. There are some odd people wearing uniforms attacking the Ranch and he can't handle them on his own.'_

 _'Really?! Well...that's not good. We need to get a move on then...'_

 _'Shouldn't you let them know first?'_

 _'Right...sorry Riolu, I forgot they don't speak your language.'_

"Guys, we need to get to the Ranch. Pronto. Team Plasma is attacking!" Katsu explained.

"How do you know?" Hugh inquired.

"Riolu told me, now let's go!"

"Right behind you Katsu!"

"Wait for me!" Alice shouted.

 **X-X-X**

"That's it, get every last one of them! Ghetsis wants us to liberate them all!"

"Stop! Please, I beg of you!" The woman's voice called out as she watched her companions get captured. Her Herdier was looking a little worse for wear.

"Sorry lady, not a chance. We've got strict orders and we're going to follow them."

Her husband was tied to her and unable to do anything either.

"Darlin? It just dawned on me...where's my Herdier?" The man said in a low voice.

"Probably got rounded up with the others..." She said tearfully.

"I don't think so...I didn't see him get snatched..."

Just then, they heard a loud barking sound which caught their attention. The man looked up to see Herdier charging into the Ranch, Katsu and the others in tow as he skidded to a stop, growling at Team Plasma.

"He was right! It is Team Plasma!" Hugh shouted, rushing forwards in a moment of recklessness.

"Give me back my sister's Purrloin you Plasma trash!" Hugh bellowed, delivering a left hook to one of the grunts.

"Your sister's what?" One of them said as they turned around, seeing one of their own slowly getting up after being punched in the face.

"You're gonna pay for that kid..."

The grunt sent out a Krokorok and a Golbat. Krokorok lunged forwards and aimed his claws for Hugh's throat. Before he could get any closer, a Vacuum Wave blasted Krokorok away, sending him skidding across the ground after taking the brunt of the blow.

 _'These...do not look like good odds...'_

 _'Tell me about it Riolu...'_

 _'So...I guess I should finish what I started then eh Katsu?'_

 _'Be my guest.'_

"Why you little, you're gonna pay for that! Golbat, Air Cutter!" The grunt called out.

Just as it was about to release a blast of wind towards Riolu and Katsu, a bolt of lightning struck it, causing the bat to convulse as the electrical energies rushed through his body. After that, a pair of vines pulled it down and slammed it into the ground where it was rammed with a Wild Charge followed by an Energy Blast.

"You people have no manners. Attacking a trainer? That hardly seems fair..." Alice grumbled.

"Why don't you worry about yourself little missy?" A female voice called out, prompting Alice to turn around.

The woman with the Sneasel and a Golbat of her own were standing there ready for a fight.

"Okay...so there are several of them and three of us...that's fine, we'll manage...I think..." Alice muttered as Lillipup jumped from her arms and landed on the ground.

Rufflet took to the skies to meet the other Golbat in the air and Riolu clashed with Krokorok in hand to hand combat. Hugh sent out his Patrat and Oshawott as well as Pidove for aerial support. It was a battle royal at the Floccesy Ranch.

Riolu delivered a powerful force palm to Krokorok's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards only to retaliate with his tail, sending Riolu flying. Krokorok leapt into the air and swatted downward at Riolu who blocked him and shifted his position in the air via aura manipulation and promptly threw Krokorok to the ground, sending the crocodile crashing into the dirt below.

Katsu took the time to slip away from the group and untie the owners of the Ranch. After getting them loose he darted back to the fight, telepathically issuing commands to Riolu while calling out others to his other two.

Purrloin was having a heck of a time with a Zangoose. It was way too fast for her and wasn't making it easy. The only thing she could do was avoid his claws, using her agile frame to her advantage. She was doing well until Zangoos delivered a powered up crush claw to her chest, causing her to fall onto her back. She quickly rolled aside to avoid the next one, panting heavily as she got up. She was getting exhausted and wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Zangoose closed in on her with malicious intent only to be caught by a pair of vines and dragged down to the ground. He was hit in the back of the head with an Energy Ball, angering him further.

"Thanks for that Alice..."

"Hey, she may have stolen from me, but she's your Pokemon, I can't have her getting hurt here."

Rufflet was weaving around the Golbat above them, clashing wings with it on the occasional fly-by. Golbat was having quite a time trying to hit his target and avoid the sharp talons at the same time. Rufflet dipped away from an oncoming Air Slash and managed to clip the wings of the Golbat, sending it spiraling downwards.

"Finish it with Peck!"

Rufflet, heading the commands of his father, dove downwards, trading altitude for speed as he plummeted into the Golbat, the impact pushing them both downwards. Golbat was slammed into the hard ground into a crater. Golbat was out cold and returned to his ball.

Riolu delivered a powerful force palm to Krokorok after another Vacuum Wave made contact, finishing the job. Krokorok fell face first into the ground after that. Sneasel was lying in a heap with static electricity coming off his frame. Zangoose was also out cold.

"Curse these kids! We have to pull back. Looks like we're going to have to settle for what we've loaded up so far."

"You guys aren't going anywhere!" Hugh snarled, stepping forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Tch...that's what you think kid..."

Suddenly everything for the trio went dark...

 **X-X-X**

Several hours later, they awoke inside inside the Ranch.

"You three are awake I see," came a male voice, prompting the trio to look towards the entrance of the guest room.

"Yeah...what happened?" Katsu inquired, glancing over at the owner and his wife who were standing in the doorway.

"Well, after you three had taken care of those strangely clothed people, three new ones popped up outta nowhere and did something weird to you three, knocking you out cold before vanishing. The other members of that group were about to take ya'lls Pokemon but Herdier wasn't having any of that, and neither were the Police when they showed up. They left in a hurry," the man said as he looked back at his wife.

"Ugh...so they got away huh?" Hugh grunted, slamming his fists on the bed.

"So close!" He roared.

"Easy Hugh, we'll get them next time okay?"

"I guess you're right Katsu..."

"So, let me get this straight...we kicked their butts, only to wind up knocked out ourselves? They really don't know how to lose with dignity do they?" Alice muttered, her eyes going wide as she looked around for her Pokemon.

"Don't worry sweetie, they're right outside eating some of my Pokemon Food. The poor dears looked rather tired after that fight so I fed them something to give them their energy back," the woman said with a smile.

"Thanks...that puts me at ease," Alice remarked.

Katsu got up from his bed and walked out of the room so he could see how his companions were doing. Riolu, Rufflet, and Purrloin were all happily sitting around their bowls of Pokemon Food. A soft laugh escaped Katsu's lips as Purrloin snagged a little of Rufflet's food just to irritate him. Rufflet and Purrloin then started to get into an argument.

 _'Hey! Get your own!'_

Katsu blinked as he heard Riolu's voice in his head.

 _'I'm translating for you...this is quite amusing...'_

 _'Keep your eyes on your plate fly boy...'_

 _'Do you know what the set height is for terminal velocity?'_

 _'...'_

 _'Thought so...stay out of my food...'_

Riolu and Katsu laughed at the two bickering Pokemon. Purrloin and Rufflet exchanged looks and then laughed as well. Alice and Hugh were also up to check on their Pokemon.

"Good, everyone's okay. That makes me so happy," Alice beamed.

"Yeah, me too..." Hugh sighed.

"You okay Hugh?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Alice...just a bit miffed. We had them right there and they pulled a cowardly tactic like this...I hate them..."

"Like I said Hugh, we'll get them, don't worry."

"Thanks Katsu..."

Katsu nodded and stood up, looking over at the table to see the Pokeballs were lined up. He found his own, and then clipped them on his belt.

"We ought to get going. If we're going to make it to Virbank before sunset...we should really head out now."

"Sounds good to me Katsu," Alice chimed in.

"I'm all for it. I'm eager to get the next badge, and improve the strength of my team as well. I know we'll all head straight for the top...and bring Team Plasma down as well..." Hugh smirked.

"Are you three heading out now?" The woman inquired, holding out a tray of goodies for them to take, mostly consisting of muffins and cupcakes as well as various fruits all tied in separate bags.

"Err...yeah, we're needing to get to Virbank City. We're all taking the League Challenge and well, we were set back a bit on time so we need to make it up by moving now," Katsu replied.

"I had a feeling, so I made the three of you something special as a thank you for helping rescue the Ranch. Thanks to you, they didn't make off with all of them. Your battle distracted them long enough for my husbands Herdier to lead them all away. Only about three of the Mareep were caught and a few of the others as well. But we still have the majority of our Pokemon here so we're not worried," she smiled.

"Thank you very much then, we'll be glad to take these." Katsu took one of the bags that was prepared and opened up his bag, placing it inside. Alice and Hugh did the same, taking a bag of their own and packing it away.

"We owe you three a lot so feel free to come back any time and visit. We'll be watching for you three when it comes time for the League. Who knows, we may show up to say hi!" The man grinned.

Katsu and the others stepped out of the Ranch and set out, turning to wave one more time to the owners before heading out. The trio set out on their journey towards Route 20, hoping to reach their destination by nightfall.

 **X-X-X**

"Lord Ghetsis...the team you sent out to the Ranch has returned, only with fewer Pokemon than expected..." A member of the Shadow Triad stated after appearing before Ghetsis.

Ghetsis gritted his teeth at this news. He specifically told them to round up each and every Pokemon that was in sight. Could they not follow a simple order?

"How many were taken, and why didn't they bring me the quota I designated them?"

"About fifteen were captured...the rest were nowhere to be found. Their progress was stopped due to a group of troublesome trainers. The Pokemon they had were a shiny Rufflet, Purrloin, Riolu, Snivy, Lillipup, Mareep, Patrat, Oshawott, and Pidove..."

"And did we get any of them?"

"No my lord Ghetsis...the Police came before we got the chance and a Herdier got in our way..."

"I see...make sure that this doesn't happen again...I want Zinzolin to oversee the next operation. All of the Seven Sages must be active...that is...excluding that traitor..." Ghetsis growled, his face screwing up into a scowl.

"As you wish...Ghetsis..."

 **X-X-X**

The sun was going down at this point. Virbank City was now within sight. About eight hours had passed between their incident at the Ranch. They had already eaten their treats but that was a few hours back. Hungry, and tired, the group stumbled into Virbank City.

Virbank City was one of the main port cities in Unova. It had tons of hangers and docks along the waterways that ran along the city. Several buildings had graffiti painted along their walls. One of them had something resembling a Koffing's skull on it.

"Well...we're finally here, it took longer than we probably wanted it too. I don't know about you two, but I'm completely exhausted..." Alice yawned, her movements rather sluggish as she walked towards the Pokemon Center.

"I'm beat as well...also hungry too...but it's probably not a good idea to eat this late. Anyway, let's get checked in so we can get some sleep. We've got a gym challenge tomorrow..." Katsu sighed, walking towards the center and through the automatic doors.

The group all got keys to their own rooms and wasted no time flopping onto their beds. It was a day well spent with an unexpected twist. They weren't expecting such a thing to happen so soon. It wasn't anything too serious...however, the group was sure they wouldn't get off as lucky as they did next time.

 **And so this chapter comes to a close. The group had their first run in with Team Plasma, well second if you count the one in the Ranch the first time. Now they find themselves in Virbank after a long journey down Route 20. They're resting easy now...but danger now lurks in the shadows. When will Team Plasma strike again? Note, I'm following the game but also adding my own flare to it so...an attack from Team Plasma could be at any point in the story if I wanted it to be. I will be adding my own personal touch as usual so you can count on that. Also, here are some of the terms that I used this chapter and their meanings.**

 **Shikake Waza: Initiate the attack**

 **Oji Waza: Defend and counterattack**

 **Chudan: Middle ready position with sword pointed straight towards the opponent's throat.**

 **Seigan : Middle ready position with sword pointed at opponent's opposite shoulder.**

 **Hasso: High ready position with sword held at vertical and angled 45 degrees to the rear.**

 **Waki: Low ready position with sword held pointed backwards at right side.**

 **Gedan: Low ready position with sword pointed downward with tip at knee level.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Goooood evening everyone! So, how was the last chapter for you guys? Did you like it? Was it fun to read? I hope so. So, I have received an OC submission which will be implemented at some point in the story. When they come in you will know. I will be accepting maybe 2 more OC's as one of them is already going to be put into effect soon. So PM me your OC's so I can look them over. And then keep a look out for them in the coming chapters! Now, with that out of the way, let's get down to it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 6: A Taste of Poison**

"Well...you certainly are quite the contender Hugh. That was one radical battle, I thought I had you in that last bout but you proved to be able to overcome me quite easily. That kind of determination is the best there is. Keep rockin' hard!" Roxie said as Hugh accepted the Toxic Badge and placed it in his box.

"Thanks Roxie...now...I guess I'd best be off. I have a long trip ahead of me..."

"I see...you on a mission?"

"Something like that...yeah...anyway, I gotta catch the next boat out of here..."

"Well, good luck, and keep rockin'" Roxie smirked.

Hugh nodded and left the gym, a sigh escaping his lips as he exited the building, the noise of Roxie's band blaring through the doorway. It was a little too noisy for his taste so he exited with haste.

 _Earlier..._

Hugh awoke with a sigh, having been up most of the night thinking about what happened at the Ranch. They were so ridiculously close to getting some answers and then it all fell through. They had failed. They were lucky to escape with their lives after that. Also, there was the matter with Alice and Katsu. Alice, albeit a pain, was becoming a good friend. He rather liked her...in a completely platonic way. Katsu was his childhood friend. He grew up with the guy and they went through some tough situations but made it out all the time.

This was a bit of a difficult thing to do at the moment. He was going to go ahead of them for a while. He wanted to train and get stronger than he was now. He saw how powerful Katsu's Pokemon were, and how strong Alice was and was a bit envious of it. Although the title Alice had given herself was seemingly self proclaimed, it fit with her battle style. She was indeed 'Great.' And Katsu...he had no words. Pure. Unadulterated. Awesomeness. The guy was always good at almost everything he did. Save for a few things like math...Katsu hated math, save for the geometric aspect of it, he loved that. Katsu had his flaws, considering he was an over-enthusiastic thrill seeker which did worry Hugh slightly.

Hugh did owe quite a bit to Katsu however. He'd saved his little sister's life a few years back after she'd wandered a bit too far from Asperita City limits. She'd snuck out to play with some of the Patrat and wild Purrloin one night. She missed hers deeply and longed for its return, so to fill the void, she played with other Pokemon.

As she was playing with them, a small group of thieves who had been in the area, casually walked out from the bushes so as not to startle her. Then again, three burly men carrying firearms was pretty intimidating. One of them made a grab for her but before he could, he felt a sharp pain rack his body, causing him to collapse. Katsu was standing over Jill with a bokken in his hands. It wasn't as finely carved as the one he now held, but it would suffice.

The other two thieves reached for their firearms but Katsu was quicker and dispatched them without a moments hesitation, leaving them thoroughly concussed. It all happened too quickly for Jill to keep up with. It was no wonder Katsu was top tier in the Kendo Club he'd attended while in Kanto. The Police had arrived shortly after being called as a neighbor heard some racket in the woods. The thieves were arrested and a good thing too, they were starting to make a reputation for themselves as criminals.

Yes, Hugh owed a lot to Katsu, which was why he wanted to get stronger and thank Katsu in that way. He decided to write a note for Katsu, explaining his plan. With that finished, he tucked it under Katsu's room door as he slept. He would get an early jump on the gym and catch a boat to the next city so he could continue on from there.

 _End flashback_

Hugh turned towards the Pokemon Center once more, a faint smile resting on his features before he turned away and headed towards the docks. The boat would be leaving soon, and he didn't want to miss his chance. He managed to get a ship captain that was on duty, luckily, since the other one was busy. Something about a movie shoot. He didn't care. All he knew was that he needed to get to Castelia City. New challenges awaited him there and he wasn't going to waste anymore time. For the sake of his sister, and for everyone hurt by Team Plasma, he resolved to bring them down no matter the cost.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu awoke later than usual. It was 10:00 in the morning. Normally he was up by six or seven. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at his Pokemon. Riolu was sleeping soundly while Purrloin nestled into Riolu's lap. Rufflet claimed the other pillow as was the usual. Katsu yawned, and stretched, getting up slowly so as not to disturb his companions. He made his way to the desk. His attention was drawn to a note sticking out from his door. He grabbed it and opened it up, recognizing it to be Hugh's handwriting:

 _Katsu,_

 _Well, I can't say this is the easiest thing to do in the world. But I'm going on ahead for a while. I need to get stronger. Yes, I know I say that a lot, but you understand. You're my best friend, and I know I can count on you to be strong as well. You've already proved that much to me in our battles as well as at the gym. Right now, I'm nowhere near where I should be. I can never forgive Team Plasma for the pain they caused my sister and me. I'm going after them one way or another. But first...I need to prepare. Don't worry about me Katsu, I'll meet up with you after Castelia City...just to see how you're doing. Sorry to drop this on you so quickly, it's abrupt and I know it. But I think if we wait around any longer, more people are going to get their Pokemon stolen and they're going to be hurt. Think of this as a strategic maneuver where you send a scout ahead to see what lies ahead. You like strategy...with the amount of games you have in your room you're like the strategy guru or something. I never could beat you in Hoenn Risk. Anyway, best of luck and remember our goal. I'll keep contact with you via XTransceiver, so I'm not really ditching you._

 _Hugh,_

 _P.S. Alice is probably the most obnoxious person I have ever met...this message will now self destruct...kidding. Good luck._

Katsu sighed softly as he folded up the note and stuffed it in his backpack.

 _'Something wrong Katsu?'_

 _'Oh, hey Riolu...yeah, Hugh left for Castelia City. Something about wanting to go on ahead and get stronger. I swear he's obsessed with it...I'm worried the idiot will do something stupid...oh who am I kidding I know he will...'_

 _'Should we inform Alice?'_

 _'Eh...probably. It looks like I'll be stuck with her for a while at the rate things are going...lucky me...'_

 _'I still think you two should-'_

 _'Not another word Riolu...'_

 _'Right...sorry...let me guess, friend-zoning her?'_

 _'Yep...'_

 _'Ouch...harsh...'_

 _'She's not my type...'_

Riolu chuckled softly before hopping off the bed, Purrloin waking up as she felt her 'cushion' move away from her. Rufflet had also awoken, turning to look towards Katsu, a happy yet tired expression on his features. He screeched happily before flying towards Katsu's desk.

"Morning you three, looks like you all are ready for the day...which is good because I'm not yet."

Purrloin sniggered at this remark, mainly due to Katsu still being in his PJ's and his hair was a complete mess.

"And what are you laughing at?" Katsu chuckled.

Purrloin snickered again and spoke up, Riolu translating her words.

 _'She says your hair looks funny...and that you look ridiculous in the morning...it amuses her apparently..'_

 _'I see...eh, I don't really care right now, I'll fix my hair later. I swear...that is a job in itself...'_

 _'That's a rather girly thing to say...'_

 _'Hey...you try having this much hair and see how you deal with it Riolu...'_

 _'Hmmm...you're right, I wouldn't want that..'_

Katsu rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom to shower. After fifteen minutes or so he was out of the shower and getting dressed. He wore a black and white jacket, similar to his hooded one only this was a zip-up and had a black and white Pokeball symbol on it, similar to that of a Yin and Yang sphere. His shoes were the same and his pants were blue jeans this time. He put on a pair of gloves and then proceeded to comb his hair out before tying it into a ponytail. He picked up his backpack and put it on his back along with his bokken.

He then returned his team to their Pokeballs and exited the room. He found Alice outside the door, tapping her foot impatiently. In her hands was a letter she'd found under her door.

"Is Hugh always this rude?!"

"Let me guess...he called you obnoxious?"

'Yes...wait...you got a letter too didn't you?"

"Yep...I'm surprised he left you one...that's strange..."

"Well, he did thank me for his defeat, which was odd...he said he learned a lot from it even though he didn't like it. Oh well, at least we won't see the last of him...though I think he's Zubat-crazy for going after them. But it's whatever..."

"Same here...well, I guess we should go to the gym right?"

"Actually...Katsu, I got a call from my father. He needs me to rehearse for the upcoming film. I promised him that I would be there today so I can't go to the gym today, so you'll be on your own for a bit afterwards..." Alice informed.

"I see...well, it can't be helped...I guess," Katsu sighed, looking back at Alice.

"Hey, don't get so down. I'm still going to meet up with you at some point as well. If I wasn't so busy I'd continue but duty calls, you know? When the spotlight calls well...stars like myself have no time to wait around..." Alice grinned.

"Still riding that aren't you?"

"Like a Rapidash..."

"Heh...well, good luck with the film. Maybe I'll stop back here and take a look at it. I'm sure it will be awesome to watch," Katsu grinned.

"You better believe it will be. Now...I need to get moving, I'm going to be late for the shoot if I don't move along. I'll catch up to you sooner or later." Alice beamed.

"Alright, I'll keep a lookout for you and Hugh. I'm going to be heading for the gym now...catch you later."

"Take care Katsu, it's been fun travelling with you so far. I'm sure we'll meet back up real soon. After all, I can't let you take on Team Plasma on your own can I?"

"Heh...knowing you, you'd want that spotlight."

"Hey, I'm not that vain!"

"I bet you think this song is about you..."

"Katsu...I will hurt you..."

Katsu simply laughed and walked off, waving to Alice as she headed off towards Pokestar Studios. Katsu had already been there a few times, mainly because his mother worked there. Now, there was one problem that he faced, aside from being alone at this point. Where the heck was the gym? He couldn't see any buildings that would indicate a gym. They all had symbols that showed they were a gym, usually on the top of the building. None of these had the symbol which made Katsu a little disgruntled.

As he was walking, he saw a man sitting down with a spray can doing some graffiti on a nearby building. Katsu figured it was normal around here since most of the buildings were like that. A sigh escaped his lips as he walked up to the young man, tapping his shoulder before speaking.

"Excuse me..."

"Ack! Don't sneak up on a guy like that!"

"Sorry...but could you point me to the gym?"

"Oh...I see, you're not familiar with its location are you?"

"I should be...since my mother sometimes comes here...but I never got the chance to get a good look at where it was..." Katsu admitted.

"No problem kid, I'll take you straight to it, it's this way."

"Thanks."

Katsu followed the young man as he lead him to a building that had a staircase leading downwards. Sure enough, the door at the bottom had the gym symbol on it. A smile rested on his features as he turned to thank the guy who helped him.

"Thanks, I'd have been looking around for quite a while before finding this..."

"No prob, now if you'll excuse me, I have a project to complete..." The young man said as he walked off, spray can in hand.

Katsu heaved a sigh and walked down the stairs. He could hear a lot of noise coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like a band playing. He liked music, but this was just...loud. As he opened the door, he was nearly blown back by the sound that was coming from it. There were a lot of people in the gym cheering as Roxie put on a show with her band Koffing and the Toxics. The mascot of the show floating around the room releasing smog into the air.

 _'This...can't be healthy...'_ Katsu thought as he watched the fans of the group jumping around excitedly. Some were dancing, others were trying.

He was about to step into the sea of fans when his eyes caught a rather peculiar sight. Seated in a corner was a girl, around three years younger than he was by the looks of things. She had a long light brown ponytail that went well beyond her shoulders, reaching beneath her chest. Her eyes were the most defining feature about her as they were two different colors. The left eye was silver, and the right was gold. She wore a long-sleeve white turtle neck that had a blue Pokeball symbol around the stomach region. Over that, she wore a rather stylish vest with a hood. She had on a pink skirt that had white flowers sewn to the bottom of them. Black stockings covered her legs and she also wore fashionable traveling boots that had several designer belts on them.

The thing that Katsu also noticed, was the pair of blue headphones that seemed to be wirelessly connected to her phone. A Drifblim floated around her frame lazily watching her as she scrolled through some songs on her phone. Katsu felt a strange presence near the girl and decided to see what it was. Closing his eyes, he could feel out two different auras. Focusing on them, he opened his eyes, a faint light blue glow emitting from his azure eyes as he did this. He could spot a Gengar and what appeared to be a Dusknoir. By the looks of things, they were her Pokemon.

The girl looked up, feeling eyes on her, just in time to see the sky blue glow fade from Katsu's eyes. She looked nervously away from him, looking instead at Gengar and Dusknoir who were hidden, at least...from everyone else. Could he see them? Was he psychic? No...she couldn't pick that up from him. Did that mean...no, it must have just been her imagination.

"Hey! Are you a challenger?!" Roxie's loud voice called out over the crowd after she stopped playing her song.

Katsu looked down at the young gym leader with a raised brow. Judging by the looks of the crowd which bore signs saying 'I Love Roxie' or 'Toxic's Fever' he assumed correctly that she was indeed the leader.

"Yeah, I am!"

"Awesome! Come on down and let's see what you're made of!" Roxie called out.

A smirk crossed Katsu's features as he made his way down another flight of stairs towards the arena floor. The girl who had seen him come in looked up from her phone, showing interest in the battle that was to come. She'd seen Hugh's fight, but it didn't keep her attention long enough. For some reason or another, this boy, Katsu, seemed different. She couldn't put her finger on it. Keeping her distance from the crowd, she leaned over the rail and looked down at the arena.

Drifblim floated over to her and Gengar and Dusknoir floated above her as well, remaining invisible so as not to be seen. The two had a mission to fulfill and the funny thing was, they were completely opposite missions and neither of them knew about the other's mission. Gengar was given orders from the girl's mother to find a suitable husband for her while Dusknoir was given orders from the girls father to not let any perverted boys near his daughter. Thus...conflicting goals which made for some hilarious outcomes. Sometimes, the girl really wished she wasn't caught in the middle of it all.

"So, challenger. What's your name?" Roxie asked curiously.

"It's Kastu Aiko."

"Well Katsu Aiko, I'm Roxie, as you probably already guessed, and this is my band!" Roxie grinned, strumming her guitar loudly as she spoke, the crowd erupting into cheers.

"I can see that, you're really good with the guitar..." Katsu complimented, a slight smile on his face as he stood across from her.

"And that's not all I'm good at. If you wanna earn a badge here, you're going to really have to work for it. I don't give them that easily," Roxie grinned.

"I bet, so, shall we get started then?" Katsu inquired.

"Ready to rock and roll already huh? I like your style Katsu! Well, you heard him everyone, let's get this show on the road!"

The music began once more as Roxie stood across from Katsu. Judging by the band name and the fact that she had a Koffing, it was obvious that she used Poison-types. He didn't have anything that had the advantage over that particular type. He would have to rely on careful tactics to overcome this obstacle.

"Are you ready Katsu?!"

"Yep!"

"Alright, ref, start us off!"

"Okay Roxie! Let's get this show on the road folks! It's that time again, another challenger has come to face Roxie. The guy who came in earlier, Hugh, was an impressive trainer and managed to barely scrape a win. Will Katsu be able to follow in the footsteps of that trainer, or will he succumb to a taste of poison? This match is between Gym Leader, Roxie of Virbank City and the challenger Katsu Aiko! This will be a three on three battle and only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the first move! Ready? Begin!"

"Koffing, it's time to hit the stage!"

"Rufflet, you're up!"

Koffing spewed gas from his sides as he floated lazily in the air, his eyes shifting over to the more serious looking Rufflet who hovered across from him. Rufflet tilted his head slightly at the Kanto originated Pokemon. It was constantly sneezing out gas and looked rather odd. Still, he couldn't let his guard down. This was a gym match and his father was counting on him.

"Whoa dude, a shiny Rufflet? That's so rad!"

"Thanks...you're not the first to say that..." Katsu laughed, getting used to the comments that people made by now.

"It looks strong, let's see if it can hang with Koffing!"

"Only one way to find out, Wing attack!"

"Smog!"

Rufflet dove towards Koffing, his wings outstretched as they began to glow. He accelerated towards the floating ball of toxicity and aimed to knock it towards the ground. However, a thick cloud of poisonous gas soon surrounded him, veiling his eyes for but a moment. He quickly got out of the smog, and looked around to see Koffing laughing off to the side. Rufflet screeched his challenge and glared at Koffing.

"Koffing, use sludge bomb!"

"Fury Attack!"

Koffing began to gurgle toxic chemicals in his mouth, the sludge spilling out before he spat a ball of sludge in Rufflet's direction. Rufflet saw this and barrel rolled to the side, expertly evading the assault as he rushed towards his target. As he neared, Koffing evaded the oncoming assault, causing Rufflet to have to circle around so he wouldn't be caught from behind.

"Smog! then use Gyro Ball!"

"Wing Attack!"

Koffing let loose a smog from the holes in his body, successfully cloaking himself so that Rufflet couldn't see him.

 _'Well...this complicates things a little...'_ Katsu thought as he concentrated on the smog that was on the field.

Koffing was obviously moving around inside of it, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Closing his eyes, Katsu tried to feel for where Koffing would be coming from just like he did with Riolu back at the Pledge Grove. His eyes shot open as he felt a presence moving rather fast from the smog.

"Rufflet, dodge left then use Leer!"

Rufflet bore to the left quickly, barely avoiding the oncoming Koffing as he spun towards Rufflet, stopping mid spin, startled that Rufflet had figured out his plan of attack. Rufflet took the moments distraction to glare at Koffing, the power of the Leer transferring to Koffing who began to wobble in the air. Rufflet then dove down towards Koffing, accelerating before landing the Wing Attack he'd been ordered to do previously.

"Finish it up with Fury Attack!"

Rufflet saw that Koffing was still a bit disoriented from the Leer as well as struggling to maintain balance after the direct hit from the Wing Attack. The girl who leaned over the rail was observing with her mouth slightly gaping. She couldn't help but be curious about what his next move was. She wanted to get a read on his thoughts, but due to the amount of people and music that was blaring...she didn't really want all of that entering her ears at once.

Koffing crashed into the arena floor after the Fury Attack connected, rolling like a ball to Roxie's feet. Rufflet panted heavily as it still could smell the toxic fumes that came from the ball of poison.

"And Koffing is down! That means Rufflet wins this round!" The referee announced.

"Hanging in there Rufflet?"

Rufflet simply nodded and stayed aloft, waiting for the next Pokemon to be released.

"I have to admit, you've taken down Koffing quicker than anyone I've ever battled. Then again, Rufflet are known to be brawlers, so I wouldn't have expected any less. That Rufflet is boss!" Roxie called out.

"Thanks, I try to train him the best I can!" Katsu called back over the music.

"Well, the crowd seems to love you so far, and I gotta say, I can't blame them! Let's keep this party rockin'! Grimer let's go!"

The pile of sludge immerged onto the field, causing the entire room to stink worse than it already had with Koffing spewing smog everywhere. The girl leaning over the rail pulled her turtle neck up a little over her nose to keep from getting nauseated. She groaned into her turtle neck as she continued to watch the fight.

Katsu decided to breathe through his mouth at this point. At least he wouldn't have to put up with smelling the stench too much. Roxie didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. But then again, when you're a Poison-type specialist...you kind of have to put up with the stench.

"Rufflet, Fury Attack!"

"Poison Gas!"

Rufflet screeched loudly above the audience as he prepared to dive for the pile of sludge. He accelerated quickly, utilizing the advantage he had from the air as he closed in. This didn't seem to deter Grimer as he made no move to evade. Instead, he breathed out toxic fumes which Rufflet, unfortunately, flew right into. Poison coursed through his body and violet sparks shot from his frame. He'd been poisoned by the looks of things.

"Here comes our signature attack, Venoshock!"

Roxie said, making the 'rock on' symbol with her fingers. Grimer spat out a purple ooze which covered Rufflet's feathers, causing him to fall to the ground, unable to fly. As he struggled to release himself, an intense electrical current arced across his feathers, causing him to screech in pain. The power of Venoshock was amplified due to Rufflet being poisoned. Rufflet couldn't handle it any longer and fainted from the attack.

"And down goes Rufflet! He just couldn't hang with it, Grimer wins the second round!" The referee called out.

"Ouch...that didn't go over too well...sorry Rufflet..." Katsu sighed, returning Rufflet to his ball.

"Well, what's it gonna be Katsu? You still hanging with it?!"

"I came this far didn't I? I don't think quitting ever made its way into my vocabulary..." Katsu grinned.

"I like your spirit! Let's keep rockin' then!"

"Ask and you'll receive, Purrloin let's go!"

Purrloin leaped onto the field, feeling a bit chipper today as she got into a battle stance almost instantly. She looked back at Katsu with a grin before staring down her opposition. So...it was a big pile of yuck...she was definitely going to need a bath after this. The dreaded thought causing her to shiver at the thought of it.

"Grimer, Poison Gas!"

"Feint Attack!"

Grimer breathed out toxic gases once more in Purrloin's direction, however, the crafty cat quickly faded from view. The gases remained where she had originally been, slowly disappearing afterwards. Grimer's eyes slid around as they searched for Purrloin and before it could spot her, she dove from the shadows and connected with her target. Grimer's body jiggled as he was struck, closing his eyes as he winced in pain from the blow.

Purrloin jumped back from Grimer, not wanting to stay too close to the slippery mound of poison.

"Grimer, use Sludge Bomb!"

"Sand Attack!"

Grimer launched a powerfuly disgusting ball of sludge towards Purrloin. The trick feline kicked up dust into Grimer's face to reduce the accuracy of the attack. The sludge barely missed its mark, much to Roxie's dismay. Purrloin kept her distance, staying away from the goop that was on the field. She did not like this one bit.

"Fury Swipes!"

"Sludge Bomb!"

Purrloin, using her speed advantage, closed in rather quickly and began to swipe ferociously at the mound of slop. Grimer gave out pained cries as it was slashed at repeatedly. After a few more slashes Grimer managed to grab hold of Purrloin. Mainly because she managed to get herself stuck in some of the sludge on the last swipe. He loosed a close range sludge bomb which spelled trouble for her as it had poisioned her right off the bat.

"Finish it with Venoshock Grimer!"

Grimer opened wide and spat the same ooze onto Purrloin who hissed as the slop covered her. After a few seconds, the shock kicked in and sent her into a fit of convulsions before lying still, unconscious.

"And Purrloin goes down! The winner is Grimer again!" The referee announced.

 _'This...isn't good...'_ Katsu thought as he withdrew Purrloin.

"I gotta admit, that Purrloin was pretty good. It's not your run of the mill alley cat that's for sure, but Grimer seemed to be too much for it."

Katsu gritted his teeth as he looked down at his last Pokeball. The girl who was watching, still holding her turtle neck over her nose, looked slightly concerned. Even Gengar and Dusknoir took note of this as she observed the fight, looking up at her before going back to the battle.

 _'What will he do now?'_ She wondered nervously, keeping her eyes fixated on the fight at hand.

"Looks like you're down to your last Pokemon. I hope it's a good one, otherwise you'll have to come back."

 _'She's right...and I can't afford to hang around too long. Grimer has taken quite a bit of damage already...so Riolu should be able to dispatch it quicker. The thing is...I don't know what else she's packing...oh well, here goes."_

"Riolu let's do it!"

The Emanation Pokemon surged onto the battle field, his crimson irises staring Grimer down with deep concentration.

The girl upstairs blinked as she saw this. A Riolu? Not many had them and those that did had them for a reason. Now she was _really_ interested in the fight, not that she wasn't already before.

 _'So...I take it that I'm the last one since I'm out huh? Is this the big boss, or is there more?'_

 _'There's another one...Grimer took down Rufflet and Purrloin...I need a swift take down from you to get to the next one...'_

 _'Hmmm...tricky, I'm not exactly effective against Poison-types...but I'll see what I can come up with...'_

The girl blinked as her headphones were lowered to her shoulders. The music was still going but she could hear voices, faintly. She could hear the conversation that Katsu was having with Riolu in his mind. At that point it was clear to her, he was aura adept. Now he had her full attention. She wanted to hear every command in this battle.

"A Riolu huh? Those are powerful. It's not often people have those...I've never had the chance to fight them though, I'm excited to see what it can do!"

"Well...then I won't disappoint you..."

"Grimer, use sludge bomb!"

 _'Vacuum Wave.'_

Grimer fired another ball of sludge towards Riolu. The bipedal canine leapt up, avoiding it with ease as he whirled his arms like a windmill, twisting in the air as the air spiraled around his frame. He then fired a powerful Vacuum Wave towards Grimer, flattening the pile of slime, knocking him out.

The girl dropped her phone. She fumbled with it in her hands a bit before it hit the ground, sighing as she looked around, hoping nobody saw that awkward moment. She looked back over the edge, still taken aback by what she'd seen.

"And...uh...Grimer is down! It looked as though Riolu acted on its own, but I'm sure Katsu has an explanation for us!"

"Yeah, I'd kinda like to know what happened there," Roxie called out.

"This is the second time I've explained this...don't you all read up on these things? Anyway, long story short, Riolu and I can communicate through telepathy. His aura resonates with mine, allowing us to have a mental connection. That's basically it..."

"Really? Far out! This is a challenge I've been lookin' for! Are you ready to rock Katsu?!"

"Born ready!"

"Alright, Scolipede, let's go!"

 _'This is trouble...'_

 _'No kidding Riolu...'_

Scolipede towered above Riolu, his size intimidating the bipedal canine only slightly.

 _'Isn't this only the second gym?'_

 _'Yeah...'_

 _'So why does she have something THAT strong? They sure don't make things easy do they?'_

 _'Nope...anyway, stay focused.'_

 _'Right...'_

"Scolipede, use Poison Tail!"

 _'Vacuum Wave.'_

The giant centipede channeled toxic chemicals into his tail and swung it towards Riolu who promptly avoided it. Riolu twisted in the air, catching the updraft with him as he fired a Vaccum Wave at Scolipede, hitting him dead on, hardly dealing any damage. The purple monstrosity only seemed aggravated by the assault.

 _'This isn't going to be fun...'_

 _'Just make sure not to get poisoned and we'll be fine. The signature move here is Venoshock. Once you're poisoned, well...that's it...'_

 _'Nasty...I'll keep that in mind...'_

"Scolipede, Dig!"

The giant centipede dove under the arena floor quickly. This would make things rather difficult for Riolu at this point.

 _'Let's try to feel him out...we don't know where he'll be coming from but I have an idea...'_

 _'I think I see where you're going with this...I'm all for it...'_

Katsu and Riolu both closed their eyes, using their aura to feel for vibrations beneath the surface. From the looks of things, Scolipede was deep below them, and they could barely feel his presence. Above them, the young girl could practically feel the aura radiating from Katsu and Riolu. She couldn't take her eyes off them. Katsu and Riolu both opened their eyes in perfect sync.

 _'Move right and use Force Palm!'_

 _'On it!'_

As predicted, Scoliped erupted from the ground and Riolu twisted to the right to avoid the blow, his paw glowing with azure aura as he delivered a Force Palm to the giant centipede, sending it flying back from the aftershock.

 _'Quick Attack.'_

Riolu pushed off his left, surging forward with great speed, aiming to slam into his opponent.

"Poison Tail!"

Riolu had nearly gotten in close when the tail connected with his torso, sending him to the ground, poison causing him to struggle to get up.

"End of the line, Venoshock!"

 _'Vacuum Wave, then Force Palm!'_

Scolipede fired the sticky slime at Riolu who whirled around and shot a Vacuum Wave towards it, parting the goop with ease, slightly pushing Scolipede back who was startled by the sudden assault. Riolu managed to gain his barrings before delivering an aura powered Force Palm to Scolipede. The aftershock sent the towering purple bug flying backwards, static now apparent to show that he was paralyzed.

Both Riolu and Scolipede seemed to be at their limits. Scolipede was struggling to get up and Riolu was breathing heavily.

"Sludge Bomb, let's wrap this up!"

 _'Get out of there and use Vacuum Wave!'_

Scolipede fired ball of sludge towards Riolu who swiftly avoided it. Wincing at the stinging pain the poison brought him as he took to the air. He whirled his arms windmill style before firing off one last Vacuum Wave. Scolipede, now paralyzed, couldn't do much to defend against it. The blast rocked the arena and dust flew everywhere. When it settled, Riolu was seen standing, but barely and Scolipede was out cold.

"AND SCOLIPEDE GOES DOWN! Riolu pulled an amazing win and Katsu wins the match!"

Katsu sighed in relief as he recalled Riolu for a rest. The match was finally over. The girl who was leaning over the railing was leaning a little too far. She almost fell over but caught herself at the last moment, pulling back to avoid an embarrassing and dangerous fall. She blushed profusely at her near misfortune and returned to her seat, breathing a relieved sigh.

"That was an intense match! I haven't had one like that in a while! You really know how to rock!" Roxie laughed.

"Thanks. That was a bit of a close call there, I really thought I was done for."

"Well, I thought I had you beat. That was quick thinking on your part. Even though I couldn't hear your commands I could see your strategy and it was sick!"

"Thanks, so was yours."

"Well, you have just earned yourself the Toxic Badge! You had this crowd pumped with your battle so you deserve it." Roxie grinned.

Katsu took the badge from her and placed it next to the Basic Badge.

"Thanks Roxie, I had a lot of fun."

"So did I. Keep up that fiery spirit of yours, it's intoxicating."

 _Ba dum tsss..._

Katsu blinked at the pun and simply rolled his eyes.

"Well, you have a safe rest of your journey. I know you'll kick butt and take names along the way. Keep rockin'! Everyone give it up for Katsu!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, prompting Katsu to take a bow just for the heck of it. He had his second badge now which was nice. It was mid afternoon by this time. The sun would be going down in a few hours so he probably wouldn't be able to catch a boat just yet. He turned to exit the gym, the girl getting up to follow him out after he closed the door at the top of the stairs.

Katsu stopped as he stepped outside, relieved to be out of that rather foul smelling place. It wasn't bad going in, but it got pretty funky once the battle began. He almost couldn't concentrate. The door behind him opened slightly, prompting him to look over his shoulder.

The girl with the headphones was peeking out at him from inside the door, as if she were trying to get a good read on him.

"You know...you can come out here...I'm not gonna bite you or anything..."

Taken aback by this statement, the girl doubled back and slowly opened the door wider, stepping out into the light.

"That's better..."

"H-hi..." The girl said in a high pitched voice. She rubbed her arm nervously as she stood by the door.

"Hey...you okay?"

"Y-yeah...sorry, I'm just...well, you know?" She fumbled her words, feeling incredibly awkward at the moment.

"Well, as long as you're okay...is there anything you need? I noticed you watching me during the match...or I felt someone looking at me rather...I figured it was you..."

"I'm sorry!" She said frantically, bowing her head repeatedly to express her feelings on the matter.

"Hey, slow down, I'm not offended..."

"Y-you aren't?"

"No, why should I be? As far as I'm concerned you haven't done anything to me worth feeling sorry over...though...could you tell your Gengar to move...he's sort of being a bit invasive..."

The girl blinked as she looked over and saw Gengar directly in front of Katsu. He was scratching his chin as he inspected Katsu, grinning as usual. Dusknoir sweat-dropped at his antics and crossed his arms.

"Right...s-sorry about that..."

"It's fine...I just don't feel comfortable with how he's looking at me..."

Gengar stuck his tongue out and laughed before returning to the girl's side. He remained invisible to everyone else, save for Katsu and the girl.

"So...what's your name by the way?"

"M-m-my name? It's Jaycelyn...Nalum, but please, please, please call me Jay."

"Jay it is then, nice to meet you. As you probably already know...I'm Katsu Aiko."

"Right...it's nice to meet you as well..."

"Well, I need to get going to the Pokemon Center, and then I gotta see if I can get a boat out of here. It looks as though things aren't going to turn out that way though...just my luck. Hugh gets a boat and I'm stuck here until another is available...that guy..."

"I know who you're talking about...he was the spiky blue haired guy...he beat Roxie and then left as quickly as he came. He said something about Team Plasma or something like that...I know about them, they're scary..." Jay said timidly.

"I know...we had a few encounters with them. Hugh's a childhood friend of mine...he and I are on this journey together...somewhat anyway. There was another one with us but she's at Pokestar Studios...I guess that's where I'll head next. Maybe she can figure out a way to get me a boat out of here..."

The door to the gym opened again and out popped a tall, tan and blonde man who had been watching the entire fight from start to finish. He was in the crowd since he was a fan of Roxie's band.

Jay hid behind Katsu for some odd reason as the man approached.

 _'She's really shy...it's kinda well...cute? Is that the right word for it?'_

Jay could read his thoughts and blushed slightly at his remark. Her attention snapped back to the approaching man.

"I gotta say kid, you've got star potential! I've never seen a gym match so inspirational. You simply must stop by Pokestar Studios! My boss will be delighted to meet you," the man said as he walked on by.

"Well...that happened..." Katsu muttered.

"You can step out from behind me now...I don't see why you felt the need to do that..."

"Sorry! It's a force of habit!" She apologized, bowing her head repeatedly again.

"Relax, I'm not upset..."

"O-okay..." Jay said softly.

 **X-X-X**

"Well Katsu, your Pokemon are all healed up and ready to go. Will you be staying the night?" The nurse asked curiously, getting a nod from Katsu.

"Yeah...until I get a boat to Castelia City I'm going to be here for a while..."

"Well, I'm sure the captain will return soon. Roxie's father can be a little strange at times..."

"Noted...thank you."

Katsu took his room key and headed for the back of the center. He ran into Jay on the way there.

"Well, I suppose I should head to the studio and see what the fuss is about. I was planning on it anyway...my mom works there so I know she'll be glad to see me. Wanna come with?"

Jay's eyes widened at this. Did he just ask her to go with him? Nobody outside of her family ever talked to her this much, or even asked for her company. Considering what and who she hung out with, she was often considered a freak and her peers were all scared of her. And yet, there was Katsu, wanting her company as if she were a regular human being. She fumbled for the right words to say.

"Uh...I..sure, I'll come. I don't think I've ever been there before...so this will be strange for me..."

"Sweet, I could use the company. Since Hugh left for Castelia and Alice is all tied up, I need someone to talk to. Thanks for coming along..."

"You're welcome..."

 **And the chapter comes to a close. A huge thanks to PG-13 for submitting the new OC you all just met. All descriptions used are from him so I take no credit for that. I did my best to portray her as accurately as possible. Now it's off to my favorite part of the game, well one of them anyway. I always loved the mini side quests this game offered. Some thought they were stupid but I found them entertaining. I will be doing my own variant of the movie Riolu Boy (yes, it's coming). Anyway, that wraps this chapter up! See you in the next one!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome back and good morning! How is everyone? Was the last chapter satisfying for you? I hope it was. How did you all like the new OC? Once again, huge thanks to PG-13 for creating her. I had a blast writing her parts. Hopefully I'll be able to write in other OC's but like I said, submit them to me via PM because I'm only accepting 2 more. In any case, the group is split at this moment and Jay has just joined Katsu on his quest. Now it's off to Pokestar Studios. -Cracks his knuckles- Let's see if my version of the in game movie hits home. Ready? Good! Let's do this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 7: Dawn of Riolu Boy, The Wrath of Brycen Man! Part 1**

Katsu and Jay walked through the tunnel to Pokestar Studios. It was a relatively peaceful avenue by the looks of things. Someone had set up rather nicely as many of the shops were booming. Pokemon were getting massages, others were being trained, and there were different food stands too. It was a well set up place.

"Wow, this wasn't here the last time I came. Someone must have taken this avenue for themselves...the business here is way up, it's impressive," Katsu said as he looked around.

Jay also took a look around. There were so many people there which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Then again, when it came to most people, she usually was. Most of the time she kept to herself. It's just how she preferred it right now. She had the company of her ghostly friends and that's all that mattered to her. Drifblim happily floated beside her, glancing around at everything in the avenue.

Riolu sat on Katsu's left shoulder this time, and Rufflet was on the right shoulder as per usual. Purrloin felt a little lazy today and decided not to fight with Riolu over it. Little did both of them know that once they evolved, neither of them could claim that spot.

 _'So...new friend?'_

 _'Yeah...her name's Jacelyn but she prefers the name Jay for short.'_

 _'I see...and she has ghosts. If you ever put me in a fight with her...I won't be much use...'_

 _'I know...and on top of that they're all fully evolved. I don't see any badges on her though..she must not be registered for the League, probably just travelling for fun...'_

 _'Well...with that kind of team, she'd probably have all eight badges by now if she had...I can feel the strength of their aura, it's quite powerful...'_

 _'Yeah...no kidding, and she's got a different feel to her as well...aura adept?'_

 _'No...it's something else...'_

 _'Well, regardless, she's nice...a welcomed breath of fresh air you might say from Alice's attitude and Hugh...sorry, Hugh's my best friend but sometimes he can be a little agitating...'_

Unknown to Katsu, Jay could hear most of the conversation. She was tuning in and out at times but she could definitely understand them. Had he called her nice? A breath of fresh air? Who was this weirdo, and why was he so...so...nice? Any normal person would have pushed her away by now, but this guy? He hadn't done so. She blushed at these thoughts and shook her head vigorously. She wasn't used to anyone but her family being kind to her. She was so distracted by these thoughts that she bumped into Katsu's back, falling backwards only to be steadied by Dusknoir.

"You okay?"

"I'm sorry!" She repeated a few times.

"Hey, chill out, it didn't hurt me or anything, don't worry about it?"

"O-okay.."

Katsu sighed and shook his head, laughing a little as he continued through the avenue. Jay couldn't place it. He was a little too nice. Was he being nice just to turn on her later? Or was he actually like this? She was giving herself a headache trying to wrap her mind around him. The two reached the end of the avenue and walked through the doors on the other side. Jay's eyes popped open when she saw the wonder that was Pokestar Studios or Pokewood.

To her left was a very high-tech looking studio where all the films were shot. And down the path to the right was a massive theatre where the movies were released just after the shooting. It was a quick process that produced massive sellouts within a short period of time. It was incredible. She'd heard about this place, but never once did she think she'd set foot in it. She'd be too shy without someone there. Sure, she had her Pokemon, but they'd just get her into trouble. Gengar had a bad habit of trying to set her up with any guy that seemed to like her. Which was why Gengar was observing Katsu so closely.

Dusknoir on the other hand tried to keep her _away_ from most of the guys she met due to his secret mission. Needless to say, it was a scream for the spectator, but not so much for her. She'd been subject to some of the most embarrassing moments possible thanks to those two. Drifblim seemed to be the only one who didn't partake in the 'fun.' She could still remember the feel of a hand on her chest after the boy landed on top of her. Somehow he'd tripped on his own feet and fell forward after knocking into her. She blushed profusely at the thought of that memory and shook it away.

"You alright back there?"

"Y-yeah...s-sorry, just thinking."

"Alright, just checking..."

"So, you say he's very talented?"

"Unquestionably, he's got charisma, he's got vigor, style, and confidence. It's the full package! Everything we look for in a star actor!"

"Well, I'll have to see for myself. When did you say he'd be here?"

The scout who found Katsu turned his head to the side as he heard approaching feet.

"Why, right about now Mr. Stu Deeoh!"

Mr. Stu Deeoh's eyes shifted towards Katsu and focused in. He took in the rather handsome features the boy had. He was somewhat of a pretty boy which usually scored high with the female audience. His eyes shifted over to Katsu's bokken, a very finely crafted looking one at that showing devotion to the art of carving as well as swordsmenship by the way Katsu carried himself. He noticed the long ponytail that reached Katsu's lower back. It was done up samurai style with bangs sticking out over his eyes. Katsu had a concentrated look on his face that showed he usually meant business yet at the same time there was a kind warmth in his eyes.

The attention shifted to the shiny Rufflet. A marvel in and of itself as those were hardly, if ever, seen. He could be excused for gaping like a fish for the moment before looking over at the Riolu. His eyes popped. It was a Riolu. And if he did his research thoroughly, those Pokemon usually weren't just along for the ride. And the fact that the movie Riolu Man was being shot, and soon to be released to the public to see how they react...he couldn't help but wonder if he should reconsider his actor. His eyes darted down to the timid girl by his side. By the way she carried herself, she seemed like his traveling companion. He took note of the Drifblim floating around her and how it didn't bother her that it was there.

His focus went back to Katsu who approached them shortly.

"Ah, if it isn't Katsu! You're finally here, we've been waiting for you."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to heal my team so that took a little time. I know you said your boss wanted to meet me so I came as quickly as I could."

"That's fine, Mr. Stu Deeoh and I were just discussing something while we waited."

"Hmmm..." Mr. Stu Deeoh began, walking around Katsu to inspect him.

"Let's see...easy on the eyes, strong confident posture, firm muscle tone by the looks of things...good job Frederick."

"I aim to please boss!"

"I'm going to go check on the movie shoot right now. Frederick if you'll please show our guests around?"

"As you wish boss!" Frederick answered energetically.

Stu Deeoh gave a nod before taking his leave. Katsu raised a brow after the man left. Was he just examined? It felt a little strange that's for sure. Katsu glanced back at the man, apparently called Frederick who nodded back at him.

"Well, Katsu, if you and your friend will accompany me to the theatre, we have business to attend."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go check this out Jay," Katsu said with a soft smile.

"R-right...sure!"

Katsu and Jay followed Frederick around for the next twenty minutes as he pointed out things about Pokestar Studios. He was going to take them directly to the theatre but the guy just kept rambling on at each stop. Finally, they reached the massive theatre and went inside.

"And here we have the crown jewel of Pokewood! This theatre has seen millions of viewers enter its grand gates, and many a sellout has been shown on the big screen. Ah, here is one of our more recent actors now! He just finished his shoot as Riolu Man!"

"Good day Frederick!"

"Hello there, I see all went well with the shoot?"

"Indeed it did, I'm rather proud of myself if I might say so. Who are these fine looking youngsters?"

"This is Katsu and a friend of his. I was watching Katsu at the gym and he caught my interest immediately. The kid's got pizazz. He's already shown star quality!"

"That sounds wonderful. Maybe he can take pointers from an experienced actor such as myself?"

"Oh, that sounds like a marvelous idea! Yes, why don't you two go with Pop Roxie and see his movie. We're giving it a test run right now to see how people react to it."

"I'm sure it will be another sellout like the others Mr. Stu Deeoh has produced!" Pop Roxie said with confidence.

"Well, I'll be off now. I need to see how the production is coming on the next film. Miss Eleanora is doing a fine job on stage, the girl is simply remarkable..." Frederick practically sang as he walked off.

 _'Heh...so Alice is here. Well, she did tell me she would be. This place seems to be really busy so I can see why her father would need her help. Gonna miss having her around though...but that's okay, I rather like having a new friend...'_

Jay heard this as well. Sometimes she wished she couldn't. She had a handle on her psychic powers for the most part, except for the occasional mishap or two and the fact that she could usually always hear the thoughts of others. He had called her his friend. Did he really see her that way? This was all so confusing, it was making her head ache.

"Well, Katsu, and...?"

"Jay..." Katsu finished.

"Jay! Katsu, and Jay, please follow me inside. The movie will be starting soon!"

Katsu nodded to Jay who nodded back before the two walked inside. Gengar and Dusknoir were following close behind, being her guardians they wouldn't shirk their duties. The three of them, well...eight if one included the Pokemon, sat down. Katsu released Purrloin so she could see as well, making it nine that were now seated in the theatre. A lot of people began to pile into the theatre which made Jay a little nervous. The lights went down and the screen lit up.

Gengar took this opportunity to have a little fun, or try to anyway. He hovered over to Katsu, laughing softly to himself as he reached out for Katsu's hand so he could move it over to Jay's. His actions were stopped, however, when Katsu looked at him with glowing sapphire hues. Gengar sweat-dropped at this and retracted his actions, slinking back to Jay's side. He'd almost forgotten that Katsu would see him.

The movie soon began and as expected, the opening scene was pretty decent, but then...

 **X-X-X**

The theatre was silent. Most that had been watching had left. Others were puzzled. The rest were miffed. The only good actor in the shoot was Brycen, a former Gym Leader, and the extras. The extras! In essence, the film wasn't that great. Pop Roxie was quiet. He had no words. Was that really him up there? Did he really do that bad?

 _'That...I...I don't know what that was...'_

 _'Me either...that Riolu seemed to be doing okay...but this guy...what...what?'_

Purrloin looked blank and Rufflet seemed confused. For once, they looked at each other with a similar expression. They looked over at Katsu and started to speak, Riolu translating.

 _'Purrloin says this guy needs to not quit his day job...and Rufflet says that was confusing to watch...'_

 _'I agree...that could have been better...'_

 _'Way better...'_

Katsu watched as Pop Roxie got up, still silent, and walked out of the theatre. Jay was also silent. She'd seen a lot of movies before, but that...that wasn't the best. It could have had a much better impact on the audience. And since when does the hero lose right out of the gate? This was shameful.

Katsu and Jay followed Pop Roxie out of the theatre and paused at the doors. Frederick came up to them shortly afterwards, the usual grin on his face.

"So, how did it all go?!"

"I...I think I'm going to go back to my duties at the dock."

"Pardon?"

"That wasn't exactly how I envisioned it. I didn't exactly shine as a hero, I failed like a loser, that wasn't me up there, that was me pretending to be a hero instead of filling the role as it ought to be done. I realize that now..."

"I'm afraid I don't understand. Don't you like being here at Pokewood? Wasn't it your dream to be on the big screen?"

"Yes, and now that it's happened it's time for me to move on to my original dream...thrilling people on the high seas!"

"Katsu! I'm passing the baton to you. Do your best and may this be a lesson to you...don't give up on your dreams. Now if you'll excuse me...I need to go find my dignity...I think I left it at the docks. Ciao."

And with that, Pop Roxie left without another word. A smirk dawned on Katsu's features as he saw him put on a captains hat. _Finally._ He had a way to get out of the city. But it didn't seem like he was going to be heading there just yet. He still needed to see his mother before going anywhere.

"Well, I guess we'll be pitching that one. Right out of the gate the movie was a flop. Reviews are already coming in calling it a catastrophe...this is a disappointment. But there's hope! You can restore the movie's honor!"

Katsu sweat-dropped at this. He'd never done much acting, save for a few times in Drama class, but that was it. He was a martial artist, not an actor. But they seemed to think he could do it. Frederick looked a little desperate so he couldn't exactly say no. Curse his weakness for helping people!

"I suppose I can...but first, can I make a suggestion? The title...change it to Dawn of Riolu Boy...having a title like that gives it more of an origin. It's an attention grabber. It's something I learned taking Drama...also, if I'm gonna act...I prefer to do my own stunts..."

"I see...we've never had anything like that aside from Brycen, he does his own too. This could be interesting! Alright, let's get going!"

Jay looked between Frederick and Katsu, saying nothing as she followed the two. After a few minutes they reached the studio where the filming was shot only to see Mr. Stu Deeoh pacing back and forth.

"Ah, thank goodness you're here Frederick! Already people don't seem to like it. But I see you brought Katsu, does this mean...?"

"Yes, he's willing to become the star role!"

"Wonderful! This most certainly will save us."

Katsu glanced over at Riolu who blinked at the conversation.

 _'They seem to be rather enthusiastic...'_

 _'Tell me about it partner...'_

 _'So...about Jay, keeping her around?_

 _'Yep...like I said, she's pretty cool...'_

 _'And pretty...'_

 _'Shut up...'_

Jay giggled a little at the comments between the two, causing Katsu to turn and look at her. He raised a brow at this as he'd only just heard her laugh. On top of that, it was kinda cute.

 _'I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but hear the two of you...'_

Riolu blinked as he felt a psychic presence in his mind. He looked over at Jay in astonishment.

 _'You understand me?!'_

 _'Yep...gotta say, it's a bit amusing to hear the two of you talking...'_

 _'Er...well...this just got awkward...'_

 _'Sorry!'_

 _'Hey, it's fine, don't worry...I'm just surprised is all...'_

 _'O-okay...sorry. It's just that, it's cute how you to fight sometimes...I had to laugh.'_

 _'That was nothing...you've not seen anything yet...'_

 _'Do I even wanna know?'_

 _'Maybe? I dunno..'_

Katsu was listening to Mr. Stu Deeoh explain his role while this conversation was taking place. He'd tuned them out for a bit so he could focus. Just then, a man walked out of one of the doors and stopped in front of them. He had on what appeared to be a robe that showed some of us upper body. He had the physique of a martial artist and the presence of one as well. This, immediately caught Katsu's attention.

"Ah, Brycen, so glad you could join us. I'd like to introduce you to Katsu Aiko. He will be acting with you in the retake of our movie. I hope the two of you will be able to get along."

Brycen glanced over at Katsu, meeting his eyes which caught his interest. Judging by Katsu's posture, he could make the same deductions that Mr. Stu Deeoh had made and more. He was strong, athletic, and definitely had a good head on his shoulders. He could also sense that he was a good martial artist, and the bokken indicated he was a good swordsmen as well. Most people didn't carry them around unless they were proficient. And then there were his Pokemon. He was definitely a good trainer as well, the Riolu was a testament to that.

"You've got good eyes...I must say, I'm kind of looking forward to acting with you, I have a feeling we'll bring the audience quite a thrill..." Brycen smirked as he walked off.

Katsu raised a brow at this and then glanced over at Mr. Stu Deeoh.

"Well, it seems our star actor has praised you. That doesn't often happen. He can be a bit aloof at times."

At this point, one of the other scouts walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. Mr. Stu Deeoh nodded and looked back at Katsu and Jay.

"I'm sorry Katsu my friend, but I must leave for a while. I have a meeting to attend. I need to assure the public that the next film will be much better. This stain must be blotted out!" Mr. Stu Deeoh announced before hastily walking off.

"Well, there you are Katsu!" Came a familiar voice, prompting Katsu to turn around.

"Hey Alice, what's up?"

"Not much, heard you got the gym badge. I was just down there about an hour ago to get mine before coming back here. So, a little birdie told me you were going to be the new actor in the movie we just made. That's fabulous...because honestly? That other guy didn't fit the bill."

"Speaking your mind as usual huh?"

"Always, Katsu. Always."

"So, who's your friend?"

Katsu looked over at Jay who was once again hiding behind him. To be honest, Alice found this rather adorable. Jay looked out at Alice who seemed friendly enough, but she still remained behind Katsu.

"This is Jay, she's new. I met her in Virbank and she'll be traveling with me for a while."

"Awww, she's cute. You know Jay, you seem to attract a lot of females..."

"Don't you start this too..."

"Why? Did Riolu tell you something?"

"Just drop it..."

"Spoiled sport..."

Katsu rolled his eyes and glanced back at Jay. Riolu gave her a confused look.

 _'You seem rather shy...is everything alright?'_

 _'Y-yeah...sorry, I'm not really good with the whole social aspect of life...'_

 _'Ah...that explains a few things. Well, if you ever need to talk, Katsu and I are here...'_

 _'Thanks...'_

 _'You're welcome...'_

"Katsu? Is that you son?" Jennifer said as she came into the studio.

"Oh, hey mom, how are you?"

"Good, I just heard that someone else was filling the part of Riolu Man...or, Riolu Boy now...I wasn't expecting you to take the part and when I heard, well, mommy couldn't stay away."

Katsu blushed at this remark. So she'd heard, it figures. He glanced back at Jay who was now one step shy of wishing she could hide in his backpack. Either that or turn invisible.

"Oh my, Katsu, who's this?"

"This is Jay. She's a friend. Met her in Virbank Gym after I got my badge...she's a little...okay, very shy..."

"That's adorable!" Jennifer giggled.

Jay blushed profusely at this statement and hid her face. This was getting awkward, even for Katsu. His mother had been trying to help him find a suitable companion, hence her actions when Alice visited. She was glad to see him making more female companions.

"So, second badge huh? Great job! I'm so proud of you son. And now you're going to be acting? This just gets better by the minute!"

"Yep...I decided to help out. Frederick and Stu Deeoh seemed desperate. I'll give it my best shot."

"Oh I know you will. You always make me proud son!"

"Thanks mom..."

"Well, I came here because I finished up the design for the other costume. I was instructed to make multiple sizes so I have one that you can wear for the shoot."

"Sounds good...mom."

"Alice, would you be a dear and let your father know we'll be ready as soon as Katsu is changed?"

"Of course Mrs. Aiko!" Alice chimed.

Katsu sighed softly to himself. He had a feeling those two would become friends right off the bat. His mother was a well known part of the team here.

"Follow me to the fitting room Katsu, your friend can wait outside while you change."

Katsu nodded and followed his mother to the changing rooms. He entered and found his costume was already prepared for him. It was just like his mother to think ahead. The costume consisted of a blue spiked ponytail wig, along with a headband that had flaps that looked like black ears. The top consisted of a black, sleeveless shirt. The pants were rather baggy and blue. A chain was hung from the belt of the costume and there were black boots and a tail to go with it. There were blue sleeves that came separate with the same attachments that Riolu had on his arms. In essence, the costume was designed to make him look a little like a crossover between a human and a Riolu.

Katsu put it on and stepped out of the room after putting the contacts in. Jay giggled when he came out, seeing how almost identical Riolu and Katsu looked.

"That. Looks. Amazing." Alice's voice came as she rounded the corner to check on them.

"Thank you, I do my best!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"This is actually pretty cool mom. It fits me...quite well actually. I'm tempted to keep it..."

"Well, I did make it in your size for a reason. And since you are my son...I see no reason to not let you have it."

"Good, because I was going to take it anyway..."

 _'You two look so cute...'_

 _'Err...thank you Jay...'_

 _'No problem. It's funny...'_

Katsu glanced over at Riolu, his miniature self and then looked over at his mother.

"Well son, ready to shoot? It's going to be quite a process so be patient okay?"

"No worries, I had to learn patience when taking Kendo classes. It's kind of a requirement..."

"I know, but the director can be difficult at times. Just make sure to do your best, and be creative! He likes that."

"I'll do my best mom."

"That's what I like to hear!"

 **X-X-X**

Katsu was led to where the first scene would be filmed. The set had a ton of props set up and there was a green screen where the background would be filled in later on. Brycen was in his costume as well, it consisted of purple, green and black. He held a scepter prop in his hands.

Turning to see his fellow actor, Brycen walked over to him, looking Katsu up and down.

"That outfit suits you well...I trust you'll be using your own Riolu in the shoot...considering ours isn't with you?"

"Yep...Riolu wants to take a crack at this."

"I see, well I'm certain it will be a remarkable performance. Perhaps you can utilize your aura to add more special effects to the shooting?" Brycen smirked.

"How did you-"

"I'm a Martial Artist, much like yourself...you're not the only one who can sense these things..."

"Right...I figured as much..."

"I think it will add more realism to the fight and it's fitting that the actor who uses a Riolu, has aura. It will make it more believable and the audience will enjoy it as well."

"Heh...I guess you're right...so, where do we start?"

"Right here!" A booming voice called out from a megaphone.

Jay covered her ears with her headphones. She did not like anything too loud, save for her music. She looked over at Jennifer and Alice who were standing off to the side.

"Okay, places everyone! We don't have a lot of time so we need to get started! Riolu Boy, Brycen-Man! Let's get things rolling! Places, and..."

"Action!"

 **And stopping right there! So, how was that? A little more interaction between our shy, cute little Jay and Katsu here. Jay can speak to Riolu which will make for some hilarious conversations that Katsu will find out about once he hears her voice in his head, that will be strange. Now Katsu is starring as Riolu Boy in Dawn of Riolu Boy, The Wrath of Brycen Man! How will things turn out? Find out in the next chapter of Icy Wrath!**


	8. Chapter 8

**And welcome back everyone! How goes it? Did you all enjoy the last chapter? I hope so! I had to think for awhile about how I was going to do the movie. I also designed the costume differently than it was in the game. At any rate, the movie is about to begin so let's get down to it shall we? Once again, any OC's you guys want to submit, send me a PM and I'll have a look at them. Now, with that out of the way, let's get right to it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 8: Dawn of Riolu By, The Wrath of Brycen Man! Part 2**

"I never knew Unova before the civil war took place. I was too young to understand anything that happened. Chaos ravaged the land from the clashing beliefs of Reshiram and Zekrom...it was madness. In all honesty...all I ever wanted was a peaceful life. And then... _he_ came. The little Riolu found me minding my own in Pledge Grove. I wanted to see for myself the legend that occurred years ago involving the Swords of Justice."

"I wanted to understand where I fit in with it all. That's when I felt his presence. It was faint at first, but then it became more apparent. Suddenly I found myself in a duel with the Pokemon, trading blows and moving at speeds that shouldn't even be humanly possible."

On the movie screen, footage of Katsu and Riolu trading physical blows was shown, the aura effects they'd generated on their own amazed the crowd. Some thought it was just special effects, but Alice and Jay knew better.

"It was after that when he told me that I was part of something far greater. I had a hidden potential that needed to be awakened because a great threat was upon this world. A criminal syndicate lead by a dangerous villain was on a quest to take over Castelia City and start another war. But what could I do? I was just a human..."

"Right?"

The screen faded black and music provided by Roxie's band began to play. The title's words circled around the screen and a Mask similar to that of Riolu's face appeared above the words 'Dawn of Riolu Boy' while another mask, like the one Brycen wore appeared below 'The Wrath of Brycen Man.' The audience already had shivers from the starting dialogue and the short scene from the start. The camera panned over what was undoubtedly Castelia City. Katsu played the role of a street musician that occasionally played at Cafe Sonata. In the film, his name was Hikaru Kazuki.

Hikaru was on the corner of the street playing with his saxophone case open to raise some money. He didn't really have much of a job so this would have to do. He used to teach at an old dojo before it closed down. There, he trained in martial arts for several years before assisting his master in teaching. Now that he was out of a job, he had no clue what else to do, save for his other hobby, playing the sax.

"Hey, did you all hear? An entire avenue nearly got robbed, but some guy dressed like a Riolu with the actual Pokemon by his side got the jump on them and sent them packing. It was incredible! It was all over the news. They're calling him Riolu Boy." One man said as he walked alongside his chums.

"Oh yeah! I think I saw some of the footage that was taken, the boy moved so fast the camera's had to slow the footage down a lot just so they could show the public what happened!" A woman said with a giggle.

"Well, a lot of people are still trying to figure out who he is. He's got crazy superhuman reflexes and fires off moves like a Pokemon. I saw the footage and he clearly used a Vacuum Wave," a young boy walking by the adults said as he held onto his mother's hand.

"Well, I'm glad to know that this city has someone that can protect it. Burgh needs a break every now and then, you know?" Another young woman said as she walked by Hikaru, placing a few Poke dollars into the case as she walked by.

Hikaru nodded to them and continued playing, pretending not to hear their conversation. When they were out of sight, he smirked, looking down at the cash in the case. It looked like he made about 1000 Poke dollars that day. Not a bad day so far and it wasn't even over yet. He contemplated buying a meal and then going shopping for more clothes. For now, he'd continue playing.

 **X-X-X**

Aboard a rather large aircraft, a man wearing a cloak consisting of green, purple and black stood before the controls as his pilot kept them on course. The door opened behind him, prompting him to turn around.

"Well...what happened?" Brycen Man said in a gruff voice.

"Err...forgive me my liege...but things didn't go as planned. We were doing as instructed on the avenue to Virbank City when we were overrun."

"Overrun? By whom?"

"Some boy dressed like a Riolu...and his partner was the Pokemon itself, we tried to retaliate but he was too fast for us. Before we knew what hit us, the entire team was taken out."

"I see...so you mean to tell me that one boy and his Riolu took out ten of my elite? This is a failure I cannot simply let slide..."

"Bu-but sir...it wasn't my fault..."

"Silence! I asked you to do one simple thing and you couldn't even do that...give me one good reason why I shouldn't smite you where you stand..."

"I...I'm sorry my liege...I promise you that we will find this boy and take him out. If you'll give me another chance..."

"I don't usually give second chances...but I'm feeling generous today...so I'll tell you what...I want you to bring me down into Castelia City. It's a big enough city to cause some havoc in and it will undoubtedly draw this wannabe hero out. Once that happens...I will deal with him...personally..." Brycen Man stated firmly, his hand crushing a glass that was in his hands.

 **X-X-X**

The sun was starting to go down in Castelia City. Everyone was getting ready for their evening activities. Hikaru was sitting at the local diner, picking his teeth of the food he'd just eaten. He felt like he had a food baby or something, he was stuffed. Next to him was a bag full of food he'd purchased for his apartment. Standing up, he decided to take his leave and head on home. He didn't have anything else to do that evening and he was getting a little tired.

As he rounded the corner, he noticed that something was a little off. The streets were quiet for some reason. Almost too quiet. He wondered why everyone was just standing still and looking upward. That's when a rather large shadow was cast over him and the other people. This did not look good. Cannons protruded from both sides of the ship and were aimed at the populace. Everyone broke into a panic and ran just as a blast was fired off.

Hikaru made a break for one of the alleys and hid as several people ran by.

 _'Great...I just got my food and got paid...and now I have to deal with this...just who would be crazy enough to fire on a city like this?!'_

Hikaru grumbled as he channeled his aura through his frame, dawning his uniform which was designed to look like Riolu. Hikaru snapped the Pokeball off his belt and called Riolu to his side. The Emanation Pokemon stood beside him, feeling out the evil presence that was invading Castelia City. Another explosion rang out through the area as a concentrated beam tore into the concrete, destroying everything in its path. A mother and her son were in the path of the beam only to trip as it neared.

Two blurs shot out onto the streets and snatched her up just before the beam connected with a nearby building, blowing a hole straight through it. The woman looked up at her rescuer only to see that it was the boy talked about frequently on the news. Hikaru put her down and turned to face the towering ship. Riolu stood beside him and also looked up.

 _'So...any ideas?'_

 _'Only one thing I can think of...those cannons need to go...and we need to get on board somehow...or bring whoever is in control of that thing down to us...'_

 _'I see...good thinking Hikaru...'_

 _'Maybe a double Vacuum Wave?'_

 _'I was just thinking that...shall we?'_ Riolu replied.

The audience in the theatre was on the edge of their seat and it was at the fourty five minute mark. Everyone was now sweating bullets as the combat began.

Hikaru and Riolu took their stance and concentrated on their aura reserves before firing off a blast of air that sliced through the skies. One of the main cannons was destroyed instantaneously due to the impact that the Vacuum Wave had.

"What's going on?!"

"My liege! We've been hit!"

"I know that but by whom?!"

"Take a look at this sir!"

Brycen Man looked at one of the surveillance cameras and spotted Riolu Boy loosing Vacuum Waves along with Riolu towards the ship. Another explosion resounded and rocked the body of the ship as both waves collided.

 **X-X-X**

"How did you all manage that one?" Madeline inquired, looking over at Katsu as he sat watching himself on screen.

"Oh...Riolu and I had to practice a lot to get it just right. We aimed the attacks at the angles instructed and the green screen did the rest..."

"Wait...you mean...those aren't special effects that you and Riolu are doing?!"

"Shh...and no...now let's continue watching...one of my favorite parts is coming up.."

 **X-X-X**

Brycen Man opened the door to the ship and jumped straight down, landing with a forceful impact as he stood across from Hikaru.

"So...you're the hero everyone's talking about...ridiculous...a boy and a Riolu. This city really must be desperate if they think you'll save them.."

"Funny...that's what the last few crooks said before I sent them to the slammer. And you'll be no different..."

"Are you so sure boy?"

"Completely..."

"Well then...if you're in such a rush to die...then come at me...I doubt you'll be able to do much but it will be amusing to watch you try."

Hikaru didn't speak, he simply shifted his stance and powered up his aura. The energy arced around his body, wrapping around him like a lover before sending out a pulse wave that shook the ground a little. Brycen Man seemed undeterred.

"Let's make things more interesting...shall we?" Brycen Man stated, reaching for a Pokeball.

He released whatever Pokemon was inside, and as it turned out, it was a Mandibuzz. Riolu narrowed his eyes at this as he now had a type disadvantage. This would not go over very well for him.

"Already, your chances at victory are dropping like flies...you can't hope to defeat me!"

Brycen Man pointed his scepter forwards and charged dark energies into the tip of the sphere on at the point, firing off a Dark Pulse. Brycen himself wasn't able to do this. The Mandibuzz created the attack off screen and was edited out of the shot to make it look like he'd done it.

Hikaru leapt upwards to avoid the oncoming Dark Pulse which shattered a car behind him, setting it ablaze. Hikaru fired a Vacuum Wave towards Brycen Man who retaliated with another Dark Pulse. The two attacks collided and dispelled one another. In an instant, Brycen Man and Riolu Boy were locked in close range combat with one another.

Riolu had his hands full with Mandibuzz, dodging air slashes and using the aura on his feet to run along the sides of buildings. He paused for a moment and the jumped off, firing a Vacuum Wave towards the Mandibuzz to catch it off guard. An Air Slash was used in reply, canceling out the Vacuum Wave, the resulting explosion was deafening.

 **X-X-X**

The audience was now getting nervous. The fight was intense and everyone seemed to be glued to the screen. Some were chewing their fingernails, others were stuffing their faces with popcorn. Some were even trying to hold off on using the bathroom for fear of missing something good.

 _'Did you have fun in this scene Riolu?'_ Jay asked curiously.

 _'Huh? Oh...yeah, I did. That Mandibuzz is actually very nice. She can be a bit testy though...'_

 _'I see...it looks like you had a blast, your acting along with Katsu's is amazing...'_

 _'Thank you...ooo, I remember that part...we nearly destroyed the set here...luckily the blast was more contained...'_

 **X-X-X**

A loud explosion rang out through the city, pushing cars into buildings and uprooting trees that were planted along the landscape. The streets were a complete mess. Riolu Boy and Brycen Man continued to clash on the ground while Mandibuzz and Riolu traded blows above them. Riolu leapt from building to building, using the aura on the tips of his feet to keep him in place.

Another Air Slash was sent his way which he warded off with a Vacuum Wave. He then leapt forwards, accelerating with quick attack before slamming his glowing paw into the giant vulture. Mandibuzz reeled back and flapped her wings wildly before glaring at Riolu who landed on the ground and was running up a building to gain altitude to continue the fight.

 **X-X-X**

"And we are on the scene here as Riolu Boy and a strange man who calls himself Brycen Man are fighting in the streets. We have no idea what's going on right now but we do know one thing. According to eye-witnesses, Brycen Man fired upon the city after positioning his ship over it. Riolu Boy, as we are calling him, is here to put a stop to the villain's plans!"

An explosion rang out as the camera crew was getting the footage on the battle.

"Amelia! Are you nuts?! It's way too dangerous to be out here right now!"

"Shut it Roger, and keep rolling!"

 **X-X-X**

Brycen Man lashed out at Riolu Boy, launching him back with a Dark Pulse, sending him flying into a nearby vehicle. Mandibuzz managed to pin Riolu to the ground which did not look good. Hikaru looked disoriented and he was badly injured by this point. Brycen Man was strong. He hardly had any injuries at all at this point.

"Is that all you have to offer me? I thought I was going to get a better challeng from you. My men told me you were faster than anything they'd ever encountered before...I wasn't so sure I'd believed them until I saw your movements. You are indeed fast...but it looks like the better fighter here is me. Now perish..."

Brycen Man held out his scepter and channeled the dark energies into its tip. Hikaru didn't know what to do at this point. He was running out of stamina, and there was little else he could do. He struggled his way out of the indentation he'd made in the car and faced Brycen Man as he began to create a large orb of energy in front of him and it steadily kept getting bigger.

He turned and saw his companion, Riolu, struggling to push the Mandibuzz off of him. He turned around and saw the city was nearly in ruins. At that moment, something dormant inside of him snapped. Riolu felt it too as he looked towards Hikaru as a fiery blue aura erupted around him, engulfing his form. His uniform seemed to change, but only slightly. The tail elongated and the belly became cream _colored_ with a single spike in the center. His armlets were now black instead of blue and they had spikes on them as well. Hikaru felt a rush of power expell from his frame, pushing out an even stronger pulse of aura then before, knocking away the Mandibuzz, enabling Riolu to get up. Hikaru stood there looking at himself. He could feel the power coursing through his veins. He looked at his fists and then at his adversary. He could sense things a lot more clearly now.

"What's this? It seems you're still able to fight after all...but you're still going to die!"

Brycen Man fired off a _huge_ Dark Pulse towards Hikaru. Riolu Boy launched a hasty and more powerful Vacuum Wave at the pulse of dark energy and completely dispelled it. Brycen Man smirked, thinking he'd won only to be disappointed when he saw Riolu Boy wasn't even harmed. Before he knew it, he was sent flying through the air by a Vacuum Waved that was fired off at blinding speeds.

Brycen Man crashed into a building, breaking the glass as he went through a skyscraper. Rubble piled on top of Brycen Man. Brycen Man stood up, now enraged at what had occurred. A blast of dark energy exploded out of the building, blowing the rubble off of him to clear a path.

Mandibuzz looked up from where she'd been thrown, not to a Riolu, but to a Lucario.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Okay...I'll bite...how did you do that one? You're not evolved yet...'_ Jay asked curiously.

 _'Green screen...'_

 _'Ah...makes sense...'_

 **X-X-X**

Brycen Man scowled down at the new form of his adversary. The considerable strength difference was monumental. Before, he had the advantage, now Riolu Boy did...or should he be called Lucario Boy now? Wait...when did the Riolu evolve? Brycen Man was even more disgruntled now.

"Are we going to stare at each other all day...or are we gonna finish this..." Hikaru said coldly, his crimson hues staring up at Brycen Man.

"I must say, this is an unexpected development...you seem to have, evolved as it were..." Brycen Man chuckled, leaping down from the building and walking away as a part of the building collapsed onto the ground where he once stood.

"I have to admit I'm impressed...you boast far more skill than I gave you credit for...but I didn't drag you out to lose, I have a mission to complete and you are in the way!"

Brycen man powered up another Dark Pulse and slammed the staff into the ground, creating a fissure that crackled with dark energy as the fissure opened up near Hikaru who avoided the blast. His speed had definitely increased which was just what he'd hoped for. Somehow, Brycen Man was able to keep up with him even with Quick Attack. Well, now he was going to be moving much faster.

Hikaru flickered from view as Brycen Man charged in, his scepter crackling with dark aura as he barely missed his target. Mandibuzz screeched in pain as it was slammed hard into the side of a building by an Aura Sphere. This was also an effect as Riolu hadn't learned it just yet.

Hikaru and Brycen Man continued to exchange blows, however it was clear now who had the advantage. Brycen Man was sent rocketing backwards from a Force Palm, wincing in pain and spitting out blood after the harsh blow had connected. Half of him was now paralyzed.

"Curse you...Riolu Boy. I will make you pay for your insolence...this entire city is going up in smoke!" Brycen Man roared as he reached for his communicator and pressed a button on it, teleporting him right before Hikaru could get to him.

"Do it...destroy the city!"

"But sir, the resulting blast will cause us to crash!"

"I don't care, just do it!"

"Err...right away sir..."

The pilot issued a few commands to the computer which set them into motion. A hatch on the side of the massive ship opened up and a large plasma cannon was revealed.

 _'Do you think he left?'_

 _'Not a chance...I don't like the looks of this...nor do I like what he said...this is bad...'_

 _'So...what do we do?'_

 _'No choice...we're going to have to do it...'_

 _'You don't mean-'_

 _'I do...Final Gambit...'_

The two looked at each other with a sigh. It would have to come to this. The one attack that could possibly take their lives. The energy within that cannon was gathering fast and it had enough power to wipe out the entire city.

"This is where you die Riolu Boy! You and the rest of this city can die with its ideals and dreams!"

The plasma cannon launched a devastating beam towards the city, baring enough power to destroy it and everything else around it for miles on end. Hikaru and Lucario channeled all of their aura through their body, and pushed it outwards. The aura became an intense flame around them as they held their hands to the sky. As the blast neared they released a powerful blast of energy. The attack powered into the plasma cannon and began to push the blast backwards. The cannon had already charged to one-hundred percent power while theirs was steadily growing.

"How can this be? There's no way!" Brycen Man roared.

The Final Gambit forced its way through the plasma beam, blasting a hole in the massive ship, splitting it in two as an explosion shook the landscape. The ship came crashing to the ground, creating a larger explosion which shook the city even more. The two pieces of the ship were ablaze and people were now standing far away from the scene.

The reporter who was on the scene, Amy, saw Hikaru and Lucario on the ground, barely alive after that.

"Someone, call an ambulance!" She cried out.

That was all Hikaru heard before he passed out completely.

 **X-X-X**

"Is he alive?"

"I believe so...he sustained quite a bit of damage after what he did...he expended most of his aura after such a reckless attack...he's lucky to be alive..."

"That Lucario of his is also in pretty bad shape, but he's breathing...it looks like the two will make it after all..."

"Shush...I think they're waking up..."

Hikaru's eyes popped open to see that he was in a white room. Most likely in a Pokemon Center. His eyes scanned the room to see his Lucario lying on the bed opposite of him, bandaged up and sitting up, awake as well.

"Where...am I?" Hikaru breathed.

"You're in the Pokemon Center...a young female reporter brought you here. We told her we could take it from here..." A man wearing a black cloak around his body said as he looked down over Hikaru.

"So...you're the Riolu Boy everyone's been raving about huh? Impressive. I don't know how you managed that Final Gambit and survived...but you did...which is good for us..." A woman in a violet and white robe said with a smirk.

"Err...who are you people?" Hikaru inquired curiously.

"You...young Hikaru, are standing in the presence of the Aura League...welcome to the team..."

The screen faded black. Lucario walked out onto the middle of the screen and fired an Aura Sphere to start the credits. For a moment, everyone was speechless. But only for a moment. The entire theatre erupted in applause. Some were whistling, others were cheering loudly. Katsu breathed a sigh of relief as it came to a close.

"I have to say Katsu, that was really good. You said it was your first time on stage? You impress me..." Alice grinned.

"Thanks Alice, that's nice of you to say."

"You're welcome, of course, you still have a ways to go before you're on my level, but this was an astonishingly good start."

"That. Was. Fabulous!" Frederick cheered as he stood up, watching everyone clear out of the theatre.

"And look! Ratings are already piling in! Not a single one below four stars and lots of five stars as well!"

Frederick seemed incredibly happy about how this turned out. Katsu couldn't help but smile at the man. He'd helped him and the rest of Pokestar out of a slump after that last botched up movie. Katsu and Jay, along with Alice walked out of the theatre and were met by Mr. Stu Deeoh himself.

"That was simply magnificent! You Katsu, are a star! I do hope you will return at some point to act for us again. I am simply amazed at the turn out!"

"Thanks...that was only my first time shooting a movie, I was a bit nervous..."

"Katsu, don't even try to be modest here. Your idea to rearrange the film a little made the ratings sky rocket."

"Thanks Alice..."

"Well, in any case, we look forward to working with you again. Here...add me into your XTransceiver. I want to be able to contact you when we do another shooting. I will also need to send you some of the money you earned after that shooting among other things."

"Other...things?"

"Oh yes, fan mail of course. After a hit movie like this, you're bound to have some out there."

"Great...just what I need..." Katsu deadpanned.

This was what he got for being a thrill seeker. He really didn't think this one through clearly enough. He hoped that this film would be mildly popular just so Pokewood could save face after the disaster that was Riolu Man. Now...he'd created quite a few problems for himself. He'd have to deal with that later though.

"Katsu!" A familiar voice called from behind him.

It was Katsu's mother, and once again Jay was hiding behind him, peeking out at everyone. There were too many people! She didn't mind so much in the theatre because it was dark. Now...it was too much.

"Oh I'm so proud of you!" Jennifer stated, hugging Katsu tight, her eyes shifting towards Jay with a bright smile.

"Thanks mom...but could you ease up a little? I'm a little sore from the shoot..."

"Well, that's what you get for sparing with Riolu as an extra scene for the film...while I found it rather bizzare that you did that...it was amazing to watch. I had no idea you could do any of that son...but we'll talk more about that later...I want this whole Aura business explained to me in detail...understand me? I don't want you needlessly getting hurt..."

"I'll be okay...I promise mom."

"You'd better be...I don't need you to nearly die on me like your father almost did. I worry enough about him as it is, I don't need you doing the same..." Jennifer said sternly.

"Hey, Katsu!" Another voice called out, causing him to turn to see that it was Pop Roxie.

"Oh, hey there, what's up?"

"You, that's what. That was an amazing performance! I got chills watching it. Also, I heard you need a lift to Castelia City. My ship is now active and I will be able to take you and your friend Jay to the next City! Are you ready for the thrill of a life time?!"

Katsu blinked in surprise, and Jay hid her face.

 _'He's loud...and way too enthusiastic...'_ Jay muttered to Riolu who was seated on Katsu's left shoulder.

 _'Tell me about it...but sometimes there's no harm in that..'_

 _'For my ears there is...'_

 _'Well...I suppose you're right...just put your headphones on?'_

 _'Good idea...'_

 **X-X-X**

Soon, Katsu and Jay were waving goodbye to everyone on the docks of Castelia City as they got on the boat. The group on the docks soon departed after Katsu, Jay and Pop Roxie set sail. This boat was quite fast, so it wouldn't take them but a few hours to get to Castelia City. Nightfall was almost upon them and the duo decided to kick back and relax until they got there. After a few hours, the ship soon docked at around midnight. Katsu glanced over at Jay who was listening to music still on her phone.

Gengar and Dusknoir were standing guard by her side and Drifblim was floating at her side, looking at the screen as a music video was being played.

"Well you two, here you are! Castelia City. I hope you all enjoyed the ride."

Katsu yawned and stood up, stretching as he looked up at the starry night sky. His eyes flickered over to the city and smiled. This was the _real_ Castelia City. The one that was on screen was green screened into effect. This was the place that he would get his third badge. He would need to train hard for this gym. That much was certain.

"Thanks for the lift Pop Roxie...it was one heck of a ride..." Katsu said with a soft laugh.

"I am happy to hear that. I was hoping to thrill you by tearing through the waves, I hope this redeems me for my terrible acting..."

"More than you think."

"That's a relief, thank you Katsu."

Jay, who seemed oblivious to the conversation, finally looked up to see Castelia City. She seemed a bit uneasy about this. The city was large and that meant _more_ people. She was going to have to keep her headphones on in order to block out their mental thought processes so she could avoid getting a headache. She still hadn't fully developed her psychic powers yet. She was learning though. Dusknoir was no slouch when it came to helping her maintain her family's traditions.

"Well, ready to go?" Katsu inquired, looking over at Jay.

"Y-yeah...I guess..."

"You okay?"

"I-I'm fine...it's nothing...don't worry about it..."

"Alright...if you're sure. Let's check into the Pokemon Center and get some rest. I'm sure you're as tired as I am..."

"Sounds good...I could use some sleep..." Jay smiled.

The two set off into the city and checked into the Pokemon Center. Katsu took a key from the nurse, Jay doing the same as they both headed down the hall to separate rooms. They both exchanged glances before closing the door to their rooms. And with that, the two were out like a light.

 **And that's a wrap! I hope my movie adaptation of Riolu Boy was sufficient. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. I wanted to make it a bit more action packed than the one in the game. I figured that Brycen Man, being the main villain, should have abilities like Riolu Boy in this adaptation. I figured I'd give it my own personal touch to deviate a little...okay a lot, from the game. Anyway, now that it's over, he's in Castelia City alongside Jay. What awaits them there? Find out next time on Icy Wrath!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Good morning fellow fanfic peoples! How is everyone? It's early here but I'm up! It's time for another chapter to this lovely little story. I know I mentioned that there are OC spots open, and the ones I mentioned in previous spots still stand until further notice save for the love interest one, that is now closed off. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed this new one so far. Also, 364 views! Sweet, almost 400 so that's close to 100 each day...o.o. I appreciate the support, I really do. Also, credit for an idea in this chapter goes to PG-13. I'd love it if some of you checked out his story Pokemon: Anto's Bizzare Adventure! Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Now let's get right down to it shall we? Once again, any OC submissions will be read and the ones I deem fitting will be added in. One already made it in and I'm loving it! Anyway, getting back on track, let's start things up!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 9: Trouble in the Sewers!**

Hugh was sitting at the Cafe Sonata rather early that morning. It opened up at 7:00 am to give the early risers and workers a boost to their morning before they got on the road. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at his newly evolved Dewott who was happily eating some Pokemon Food he'd bought from a mart. Patrat was eating out of his own bowl and Pidove was sitting on his right shoulder.

Hugh reached into his jacket and took out a small locket with a picture inside. It was of him and his sister when he was a little younger. She was seven and he was 12 at that time. He was giving her a piggyback ride and the two were laughing. A Purrloin could be seen on top of Jill's head. A faint smile crossed his features as he remembered that day. Their mother snapped the photo just before the three lost balance and fell over. A laugh escaped his lips as he put the locket back inside his jacket and zipped it up.

He needed to track down Team Plasma. So far he hadn't heard of any recent activity, but he couldn't help but get this foreboding feeling the more he stayed here.

"Hey...did any of you notice there have been sightings of some weirdos walking around wearing strange uniforms?" A man walking by on his way to work stated.

"Huh? I wasn't aware of that...where were they sighted?" A woman said with confused look.

"They were walking around the Centra Plaza earlier...but they're not there anymore. It was strange."

Hugh let the two walk by and then stood up, returning his Pokemon so he could head towards the Central Plaza. That was going to be where he would look first. He walked right by the Pokemon Center, not knowing that Katsu was sleeping soundly inside. He didn't know that Alice wasn't with him either. Not that he cared anyway. As he was heading down Gym Street, his eyes locked with a young girl with long purple hair, done up in a strange fashion. She was around a few years younger than he was, probably 15. She was short but walked with an air of confidence around her.

As he passed her, he couldn't help but feel a powerful presence coming from her. He shivered a little and then moved on. He got to the Central Plaza after passing through crowds of people. Honestly? He couldn't see how people got up so early. He'd barely managed to do it himself. He stopped in the Plaza and began to look around.

 _'Okay...that man said people saw them here. There has to be some evidence to go by. Now...where to start? This plasa is huge...'_

"Pidove, I'll need you for aerial coverage!" Hugh called out, sending out his little dove.

"Something I can help you with?" A feminine voice called from behind, causing Hugh to turn around.

His eyes met with the maroon colored eyes of the girl he'd seen in the city. She had on a small pink and cream dress that stopped at her knees and had a light pink backpack strapped onto her. She wore white leggings that had gold edges, stopping above her calves. Her shoes matched her dress.

"No...it's okay, I'm fine."

"Hmmm...that's strange, because from what you said, it sounds like you're looking for something..."

"Okay...and if I am?"

"Well, fill me in and maybe I an assist you..." The girl said with a faint smile.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu roused himself from his slumber, the thought of the upcoming gym battle exciting him beyond all reason. Although he looked tired, he was pumped. But right now, all he wanted was a nice hot shower and some breakfast. Yes, that sounded really good right about now. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, looking over at Riolu and Purrloin who were still sleeping. Rufflet still claimed the spot next to him on the pillow. He couldn't help but smile at this. The four of them were growing a lot it seemed and he was proud of his companions.

He took a little time before going to bed to do some research on the next Gym Leader which was Burgh. He'd heard of him briefly in the movie shoot as he was mentioned once. After figuring out that he had four Pokemon, Katsu thought that it was about time he caught himself another one. Putting himself at a power disadvantage would not be very providential. He figured he'd venture a little ways from the City and see what he could find there.

He removed his PJ's and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door so he could take a shower. Riolu awoke with a stretch and a yawn. Purrloin also roused herself, glancing up at Riolu with a smile before nuzzling him. She was somewhat used to the bipedal canine by now. She even didn't seem to mind Rufflet as much, though she would still pester him because it was fun.

 _'I take it our dear friend is awake? It's early, he must be wanting to get an early start.'_ Purrloin sniggered, hopping off the bed and stretching.

 _'That's Katsu for you. Nothing seems to deter him from his goals...one of the many reasons I'm glad I chose him...'_

 _'My father seems to always be ready for battle. He would make a fine Braviary...'_ Rufflet chuckled, looking down at the other two.

 _'Indeed...though I wonder when we'll get a new addition to the team. He hasn't caught anything in a while. Let's just hope the next character we get doesn't disrupt our harmony...it took me a while to get used to bird brain over here...'_

 _'I swear...if I wasn't so small I'd eat you...'_ Rufflet muttered.

 _'And that's why I love picking on you feathers for brains...you get so agitated easily, it's amusing...but it's all in good fun. Naturally we're enemies right? However, since Katsu takes care of us, we are friends. And though it's fun to tease you, I'm your friend still...even though it's fun to pluck your feathers, the face you make...priceless..''_

 _'I'll show you priceless...'_

 _'Okay you two, let's not get carried away here...'_ Riolu deadpanned.

 **X-X-X**

"Team Plasma? As in the ones who tried to 'liberate' Pokemon from their trainers about two or three years ago?"

"Yes, the very same. Not sure if you heard about what happened at Floccesy Ranch but they attacked it. My friends and I were there at the time and stopped them before they could do more damage...however, we couldn't save all the Pokemon...some got away because a Herdier that the Ranch owners had led them to safety. We were incapacitated..."

"I see...and so now you're looking for them again huh? Why aren't your friends with you?"

"I can contact them anytime I want...I'm scouting ahead right now. I want to take them down as fast as possible...I want answers. And they're going to give them to me..."

"Mind if I ask what the reason is?"

"No...not at all..." Hugh said, pulling out the locket to show Iris. Hugh wasn't exactly aware that he was in the presence of the Unova Champion, the current one who took Alder's place.

"I see...is that your sister? She's cute! And that Purrloin is rather adorable. I prefer dragons myself but that's cute."

"Yeah...well that Purrloin was stolen from her five years ago. Team Plasma took it and a lot of other Pokemon as well. I want to get it back...I want to get them all back and make those Plasma trash pay for what they've done!"

"Well...you're not going to be able to do it on your own...you should at least let your friends find you first..."

"I already planned to meet up with them later...so, you mentioned you could help me?"

"Yes...I don't know for certain, but I do know of a place where most thieves and suspicious people would hide...why don't you have a look around the Castelia Sewers. It's just below the entrance to Skyarrow Bridge, if you know where that is. It shouldn't be too hard to find. I'd be careful going if I were you. I can see you're a strong trainer...but don't let your goal cloud your judgement..."

"Don't worry...I won't, and thanks..."

 **X-X-X**

Jay was up listening to music while Gengar and Dusknoir were busy chatting. Since she had the volume up, she couldn't hear much of their conversation. Drifblim was hovering around her as usual, keeping an eye on the two.

 _'So, what do you think of Katsu? Nice guy huh?'_

 _'A little too nice if you ask me...'_ Dusknoir grunted.

 _'Oh don't be that way, I think he's kinda neat. Handsome, strong, fast, he's got a lot of good qualities.'_

 _'What are you getting at?'_

 _'Huh? Nothing, I'm just saying he's cool guy, nothing more...'_

 _'While I agree with you on some points, we have to remember that we are still Jaycelyn's guardians. We must protect her at all times...'_

 _'Yeah, yeah, keep her safe, blah blah, I get it, I do that.'_

 _'But you also embarrass her...'_

 _'Look who's talking Mr. drag-any-boy-who-touches-her-into-the-abyss.'_

 _'That was ONE time...the others weren't as bad...'_

 _'Well...Jay seems to see Katsu as a friend, so let's just leave him be shall we? We're supposed to protect her AND make her happy.'_

 _'I suppose...fine...'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu stepped out of the shower and dried off. He sifted through his bag for some clothes to put on and threw them on the bed. He put on a black long-sleeve shirt and wore a white zip up vest with a popped collar. The vest had two zipper pockets on the chest area. He wore fitting, dark blue jeans with a bit of a faded color on the thigh and knee regions. He put on his usual shoes and strapped his backpack onto his shoulders along with his bokken.

 _'Morning Katsu.'_

 _'Morning Riolu...ready for today?'_

 _'Yep. Can't wait!'_

 _'Good.'_

"Morning Rufflet, doing okay partner?" Katsu said, ruffling the little eaglet's feathers a bit, causing Rufflet to nuzzle into his hand before hopping onto his perch.

Before Katsu could turn to address her, Purrloin leapt onto her preferred spot and nuzzled Katsu before licking the side of his face.

"Well, good morning to you too Purrloin. What do you all say we go and get ourselves a new friend?"

The three Pokemon nodded and with that, Katsu left the room to seek out Jay. He figured he'd see if she wanted to come along. He knocked on her door, but nobody seemed to answer. Just then, he saw Gengar poke his head through the door. Looking over to Riolu, knowing he could translate he spoke to it.

 _'Does he need Jay?'_

 _'Yeah, we're headed out to get a new Pokemon to add to the team, he wants to know if Jay wants to come with him.'_

 _'I see, well, I'll inform her then. Once she has those headphones on, she doesn't hear much...'_

 _'Thanks Gengar...'_

 _'You're welcome...'_ Gengar snickered, sucking himself back through the door.

 _'I'm guessing you handled it?'_

 _'Yep...gotcha covered, Gengar said he'd get Jay right now...'_

From within the room, an audible shriek could be herd as Jay was levitated from her bed. The door was opened and she was suddenly flung out towards Katsu. Reacting quickly, Katsu caught her but fell onto his back with Jay landing on top of him. Katsu looked up at Jay and noticed she was overtop of him. Her face began to turn red and she quickly scampered off of him onto her rear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay...don't worry about it."

"No, really! That was just embarrassing!" Jay almost cried.

"Seriously, it's fine, I'm not mad or anything, don't worry about it...okay?"

Jay couldn't understand it. She was awkward, probably annoying, and he most likely was getting tired of her, right? Apparently not, because there he went again, forgiving her. Just what was up with this guy? She grumbled cutely before getting up and dusting herself off. Making sure her skirt stayed down. She turned and shot a glare at Gengar who sniggered deviously. Dusknoir simply face palmed and shook his head. Drifblim floated over to Jay with a worried expression.

"So...did Gengar tell you the plan?"

"Mhm...something about wanting to get a new partner for your team right? I'm up for that..." She smiled.

"Sweet...well, we'd better get going. I'd like to get to the gym sometime today."

Jay nodded and went to retrieve her belongings. After doing so, she walked back out with her Pokemon in tow. She blushed in embarrassment after that incident. Sometimes Gengar was so intolerable. That was just rude! The two walked out of the Pokemon Center and into the city air. Katsu breathed it all in as he looked round. Everyone seemed to be running to and fro. Cars lined the streets and some were even riding to work via bicycle. It was a busy metropolis indeed. Katsu was about to head towards the Central Plaza area when his XTransceiver went off.

He looked down at it and saw that it was Hugh. He hit the switch on it and Hugh's face appeared on the screen.

"Oi, Katsu! How are you?"

"I'm alright Hugh, where are you?"

"In Castelia City...heading to the sewers...why?"

"Huh. I'm in Castelia right now actually..."

"Eh?! You caught up already? That was fast. Also, I heard about your movie from Alice, seems like you showed off as usual."

"I wouldn't exactly call it that...but yeah, I was in the new one..."

"Cool, we'll talk about that later. In the meantime, get on over to Castelia Sewers...we've got a job to do..."

And with that, Hugh winked out. A message buzzed on his XTransceiver which puzzled him.

 _'By the way...who's the girl?'_

Katsu rolled his eyes and put the device back in his pocket. He turned around to see that Jay was shuffling her feet awkwardly behind him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"O-of course, I'm just sleepy, that's all..." She yawned.

"If you're sure...anyway, change of plans...we're going to Castelia Sewers. I'm going to need your help..."

"What for?"

"I'll tell you once we get there...we shouldn't keep Hugh waiting."

Jay didn't seem to get it but she went along anyway, Dusknoir and Gengar keeping close by her as well as Drifblim. Katsu pulled up the map of the city as he ran, getting the position of the sewers so he could navigate. Finding the location, he rounded the corner and went through the station, Jay following close behind. They soon reached the exit and were face to face with Hugh.

"There you are Katsu, been a while hasn't it?" Hugh smirked.

"Yeah, looks like you decided to get the jump on things...got your third badge already?"

"Yep...wasn't wanting to waste time you know, places to go, Plasma trash to burn...you get the idea...eh?" Hugh said as he saw Jay hiding behind Katsu.

"Uh, Katsu, who's that?"

Katsu laughed softly as he knew what Jay was doing. He turned back to Hugh and smirked.

"This is Jay, she's a trainer like us only she's not hunting badges. I met her after I got my badge at Virbank City Gym."

"So...you beat Roxie huh? I had a heck of a time with that Scolipede...luckily Pidove took it down after Oshawott weakened it. Let me guess...you used Rufflet?"

"No...Riolu finished the job..."

"Scary...Poison-types aren't affected all that much by fighting moves."

"Anyway, we're getting off track, you said we have job to do here? What's it about?"

Hugh glanced towards the sewers. He was informed that they were very vast and it was like a maze down there. On top of that, tons of wild Pokemon were there as well. It wasn't a place for the faint of heart.

"Team Plasma is down there...at least, that's what I am thinking. This girl named Iris said that thieves of all types gather down there...it makes perfect sense."

"I see...and you wanted backup huh? That's fine with me. I've always got your back..."

 _'Who is he?'_ Jay inquired, nodding to Hugh as she spoke to Purrloin who was closest to her.

 _'That's Hugh, he's a bit of a dimwit at times...but he's a pretty strong trainer. And on top of that, Katsu's childhood friend.'_

 _'I see...so I can trust him?'_

 _'Katsu hasn't been known to hang around anyone he wouldn't trust...'_

 _'O-okay...'_

Jay slowly slid out from behind Katsu and stood beside him. She listened in on the conversation. She was a bit scared about this 'job' they had to do. But she could tell that Katsu and Hugh knew what they were doing. She also had Dusknoir and Gengar to keep her safe along with Drifblim. She may have lacked confidence, but with the support of three powerful Ghost-types, she could go into battle without too much worry.

"Alright, so...shall we get going then?" Hugh asked.

"Yep...you coming Jay?"

"Y-y-yeah...I'm coming!"

 **X-X-X**

"This place is big."

"I didn't realize it was this vast..." Katsu muttered.

"This place is big..." Hugh muttered.

"Okay, I get the point...so what should we do?"

"Hmmm...we don't have a choice. We should probably split up so we can cover more ground."

"I don't know about that Hugh...shouldn't we stick together?"

"Katsu...look at this place...it's-"

"Big, I know...I guess we could split up..."

"Like I said, now...any ideas?"

"Actually, yes...Jay, there's something I want to ask you..."

Oh no, here it comes. The dreaded question she wasn't ready for. Or...at least she thought it would be anyway.

"I was hoping you could use your powers to search for human aura with me. Riolu tells me that you can speak to him telepathically like I can only that your energy has a psychic feel to it...This will keep us connected and help us find each other if we should ever get lost. Hugh doesn't have these abilities like we do so we'll need to keep an eye on him more. Is that okay?"

Jay sighed inwardly, relieved that it was something completely different. She looked up at them and nodded.

"Yes...I-I suppose I can do that..." She said timidly.

"Good...we're going to split up now, I'll take the sewers heading this way, you head the opposite. Hugh? Take the south route...and be careful...yell if you find anything..."

"Gotcha Katsu."

"Alright...everyone ready?"

The group nodded and then split in different directions.

 **X-X-X**

"Do you think we'll be able to pull this off?"

"We can't afford to have anyone find us out here...we're going to have to risk it...there are a lot of wild Pokemon down here and this seems like the best course of action.."

"If you're sure...go ahead and light it.."

The sound of a match being struck, followed by a loud crackling noise echoed through the sewers. Dozens of wild Pokemon ranging from Grimer to Muk and some Zubat along with Venipede and various other Poison-types, all went into a frenzy. Satisfied with their work, the Team Plasma Grunts stayed back as they all rushed through the sewers.

Katsu walked cautiously alongside Riolu, Rufflet and Purrloin still on his shoulders to keep a lookout. They were walking by the underground river and using it as a guiding point through the sewers. Katu's senses ticked as he felt something headed his way. A LOT of something rather. Riolu felt it too and just in time too. A Sludge Bomb exploded at his feet just as he and Katsu jumped out of the way. Purrloin leapt off his shoulders and Rufflet took to the air. Just as Purrloin was about to land, she was blasted into the river by an Air Slash which sent her sailing downstream.

"Purrloin!"

Katsu was about to turn back when another sludge bomb was launched at him. He evaded it and turned to his attackers.

"Wild Pokemon? That's odd...why are they all attacking me?"

 _'I don't know...but right now is not the time to ask...'_

Riolu dodged another Sludge Bomb and fired off a Vacuum Wave.

 _'We need to repel them, we have to save Purrloin...'_

Rufflet soared into battle, landing a solid wing attack to one of the Muk, knocking the pile of sludge back a little. Katsu formed his own Vacuum Wave, much to the surprise of the Pokemon standing in his way.

"Get out of my way!" Katsu shouted, lauching the blast along with Riolu.

The explosion created a dust cloud which gave Katsu and Riolu the time they needed to double back. Before they could do that, a blast of air came from behind and knocked Riolu to the ground. Another blast shot Rufflet down, taking it off guard. Katsu turned to see a few Team Plasma Grunts standing before him.

 _'Great...just what I need...you okay Riolu?'_

 _'Yeah...I think...'_ He said, getting up slowly after taking a super-effective Air Slash to the chest.

Rufflet shook off the blow and rose up into the air, screeching angrily at the Team Plasma's Golbat for shooting him down.

"Looks like we found a rat in the sewers...looks like we're playing the part of the exterminator today. I hope you have a will written somewhere boy...because today is your last day..."

 **X-X-X**

Jay was walking along the same water route as Katsu, only in the opposite direction. She was doing her best to use her psychic abilities to find other signs of human life down here besides Hugh and Katsu. She was about to round a corner when a loud mewing sound caught her attention.

 _'Help!'_ Came Purrloin's familiar voice.

Jay's attention shot towards Purrloin, her eyes widening as she saw the little one being carried down the river current. Dusknoir and Gengar both launched themselves into action but the river was carrying her too fast. She was heading straight for the edge of the sewers and was about to fall!

 **X-X-X**

Riolu barely avoided an oncoming Air Slash and was now dancing around a Zangoose. Rufflet was in an aerial match with two Golbat which was not looking good. Riolu and Rufflet were getting exhausted. Rilou was dealt a heavy blow by Zangoose who relesed a punishing Crush Claw. Riolu bounced as he hit the ground. Rufflet was hit by Air Slash twice and plummeted, only to be caught by Katsu before he hit the ground.

"Looks like this is the end of the line for you and your Pokemon kid...any last words?"

As both Golbat's were about to strike, they were knocked back into the Grunts with brutal force. Katsu blinked as he saw what had occurred. His eyes went even wider when he saw the cause of the incident. There, standing before him was a large and slender purple feline with a yellow underbelly. She had speckled rossettes on her body and her face looked like it had a pink mask. Her eyes were bright green. She had long whiskers and her paws were also yellow. Her tail was long and sickle shaped as well. It was indeed, a Liepard.

Liepard looked back at Katsu and sniggered in a familiar way, signaling that it was his beloved Purrloin who had evolved. Katsu smirked at this, knowing that devious look anywhere. The Golbat who were so rudely interrupted glared at Leipard. The tricky feline looked over and saw Zangoose about to hammer down on Riolu. A few Air Slashes came her way and before they could hit their target, she vanished. Team Plasma gaped at this. What just happened? Suddenly, Zangoose was slashed across the back hard by a Night Slash attack. He was sent flying into a wall, knocking him out. Liepard landed gracefully and turned to defend her trainer.

"Well...looks like the odds just slipped into my favor..." Katsu grinned, taking out his bokken with a smirk.

Katsu and Liepard began to fend off Team Plasma. Liepard focused on the horde of Pokemon that still hadn't left yet. They were still a bit ticked off and wouldn't stop until the humans left them alone. Liepard maneuvered around every Sludge Bomb and Air Slash rather easily, dodging gracefully before hammering her targets with a Feint Attack/Night Slash follow up. She reappeared behind them, crouched down. An audible _thud_ could be heard as every Pokemon she attacked collapsed. She turned around to examine her handiwork, rather pleased with the result. There were still more to take care of, but she was confident she could handle it.

"Katsu!" Jay's voice called out as she darted towards him. Gengar and Dusknoir handling stray Sludge Bombs that came their way.

"Oi, Katsu!" Hugh said, running beside Jay with Dewott racing alongside him.

"About time you guys showed up, what took you?" Katsu smirked as he turned towards Team Plasma.

"Looks like we just made it...Purr-I mean Liepard told me you were in trouble..."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain later..." Jay said as she turned to Team Plasma.

Hugh cracked his knuckles and turned to his Dewott, Patrat and Pidove. The odds were now stacked against Team Plasma. Katsu they could handle for a period of time...until Liepard came into the picture. On top of that...Jay had three powerful, _fully evolved_ Ghost-types. This situation was not looking too good. They would have to withdraw for now.

"Alright you Plasma trash! Talk...where is my sister's Purrloin!"

"No idea what you're talking about kid. We don't have time to dawdle here...our mission is done here..." A Grunt stated.

At the snap of a finger, one of the Grunts sent out a signal. Suddenly, they were all teleported out. Katsu barely caught an image of whoever it was that teleported them. There were three by the looks of it. Jay could see them too.

"Ugh! Not again!" Hugh roared.

"Hey, it's not all bad. We're running into them more often now. I'm sure we'll eventually find out more information at this rate..." Katsu said with faint smile.

"Yeah...I guess you're right..."

The sound of clapping could be heard from behind them, prompting the trio to turn around and see a man in a lab coat standing there. He had blond hair with one section of it curving into a sort of 'C' shape. That part of his hair was blue. He had golden eyes as well. He was carrying a rather high-tech device that could be likened to that of a tablet.

"That was simply remarkable. The way your Liepard battled Team Plasma was absolutely superb. And your other Pokemon are rather remarkable as well. The way you brought out the power of your Pokemon in that fight was astonishing. I assume the same can be said for your companions. I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of you in the future...ciao..." And with that, the man walked off.

"Uh...what was that?" Hugh blinked, not really following what the man said.

"I dunno...doesn't matter though. We really should find a way out of the sewers."

"I can help with that." A voice called from behind them.

The trio turned around to see a man with wavy brown hair and green eyes wearing a red scarf with a green V-neck top. His pants were green on the back and red on the front with a black stripe down each leg. He had on black socks and green shoes with red straps. His belt buckle was in the shape of a white butterfly.

"Hey Burgh."

"Oh, Hugh, good to see you again!" Burgh said with a grin.

Once again, Jay hid behind Katsu. This was becoming a habit for her. Katsu couldn't help but find it rather endearing. It made him laugh inside. She peaked out at the man waving shyly. Burgh noticed this and raised a brow, a smile placing itself on his features as he waved back.

"You must be the Gym Leader, nice to meet you," Katsu smirked.

"Indeed I am, now, what do you say we all get out of here? I know the easiest way, follow me."

 **X-X-X**

"Well, that was quick," Katsu chuckled.

"I know those sewers like the back of my hand. I could probably navigate them backwards and blindfolded," Burgh grinned.

"I see...so, what were you doing down there?" Hugh asked.

"I was looking for inspiration! Sometimes it's difficult to find when I'm painting so I go to wherever I feel will give me that inspiration and down there was simply perfect."

"I see...well, I suppose that make sense. How did you not run into Team Plasma while you were there?" Katsu asked.

"Like I said, I know the sewers well. They must have been on a different part of the sewers at the time. I only saw them briefly just before they left. You three seemed to be able to handle them quite well from what I could tell. I didn't see everything but they fled, so you three must be rather skilled."

"I don't know about that..." Katsu said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Katsu...don't play the modesty card...you just starred in a movie, you can shoot aura from your hands and sword, which shouldn't even be humanly possible and you spar with Riolu...so don't give me that crap!" Hugh said with an annoyed expression.

Katsu mumbled something unintelligable before turning to Burgh who didn't seem to be paying the least bit of attention.

"Well, in any case, feel free to challenge my gym when you're ready!"

"Will do..." Katsu smirked.

Burgh waved goodbye and then walked off down the street towards his gym. Katsu turned to Hugh who was looking away for a moment.

"You okay?"

"What do you think Katsu? We missed our chance again...this is really getting on my nerves. Are they so scared that they're going to run all the time? I'm really fed up with them..."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I dunno, go on ahead I guess. I need to see if I can make some headway on this. They can't have gotten far. I'll track them down and let you know what I find."

"Just don't do anything dumb without us okay?"

 _'Us?'_ Jay thought with a raised brow. Did Katsu just include her in their mission? What exactly was it anyway? And why did she get the feeling that traveling with either of them would be dangerous? Well, it couldn't be helped now...Team Plasma already saw her face. She was now officially marked.

"Don't worry, with you two as back up I don't think I'll have much to worry about. Anyway, see you two later."

Katsu nodded towards Hugh as he left, heading straight for Route Four. A soft smile crossed his face as he turned to face Jay.

"So...what happened back there?" Katsu inquired, indicating to Liepard who was now sitting at his side.

"Well..." She began.

 _Earlier..._

Dusknoir and Gengar made a grab for Purrloin as she sailed downstream. The current was strong and she wouldn't be able to pull out due to how small she was. The two Ghost-types missed her and darted off across the water again to grab her. Jay looked on in despair as she headed for the edge. At that point, Purrloin disappeared underwater. She was helpless in the current.

 _'Is this it for me? Is this how it ends? Katsu...'_

 _'No...he needs me!'_

A bright light enveloped her frame, new power coursing through her veins as her body began to change. Suddenly, her tail shot out of the water and latched onto a pole. Dusknoir and Gengar reached into the water to pull out what they expected to be a Purrloin only to be surprised to see a Liepard. They set her down on the ground and she shook her fur dry.

 _'Are you okay?'_

 _'I'm fine now...but Katsu is in trouble!'_

 _'He is?! Where?!'_

 _'Up ahead...follow this river and it will lead you right to him. I'll go on ahead...make sure to find Hugh...'_

 _'Got it...will do...'_

 _End Flashback_

"So, yeah...pretty much that..."

"Wow...not exactly how I was hoping Purrloin would evolve but...I'm so glad she did. Welcome to the team Liepard."

A smile rested on Liepard's features as she nuzzled into Katsu's side.

"Oh...and, thanks...had it not been for your two Pokemon, Liepard would probably be drowning right now...so, thank you...I owe you big time."

"I-It's okay...really, you don't have to do anything..." Jay blushed, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"If you're sure...but if there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

"O-okay..."

"Now...let's see, Liepard, you're okay right now. What do you say we go on a hunt for a new friend?"

Liepard nodded, showing she understood and began walking with Katsu. Jay followed them and the three went up Route Four. Hugh was already way ahead of them so there really wasn't much of a need to try and catch up. Katsu raised a brow as he walked along. He stopped short, feeling out with his aura to see if there was anything nearby.

Liepard sniffed the air, her whiskers twitching as she kept alert. Suddenly, something red jumped out from behind a rock and started dancing around wildly. Katsu blinked as he saw the round red looking creature. Wondering what it was, he pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at the Pokemon.

 **Darumaka. The Zen Charm Pokemon. When its internal fire is burning, it cannot calm down and it runs around. When the fire diminishes, it falls asleep.**

"Well...it looks like its inner fire is lit up. Awesome...Liepard, let's go after it!"

Liepard padded forward and looked at the dancing ball with mild interest. Darumaka turned to see Liepard and grinned deviously in her direction. He then turned around and patted his buttocks in a taunting manner. Liepard sweat-dropped at this.

"Feint Attack!"

Liepard nodded and vanished from sight. She appeared behind the Darumaka and slashed across his back, sending him rolling around like a ball on the ground. He got up and continued to dance around, now throwing a bit of a fit. That same grin was stuck on his face as his fists powered up with flames.

 _'That's fire punch...this should be interesting...'_ Katsu thought with a smirk.

"Use Night Slash!"

Darumaka darted towards Liepard and aimed to slam his blazing fists into her side. She avoided it effortlessly and retaliated with a Night Slash. Sending the ball of fire sprawling across the ground. Damaged but undeterred it got up again and began shouting at Liepard.

 _'What...are you doing?'_ Liepard asked.

 _'I'm about to blow all of your pretty fur off of you pretty kitty!"_

 _'What?...'_

 _'I'M A FIRING MAH LAZEH!'_

Darumaka opened its mouth and used Incinerate, effectively connecting with Liepard who was sent tumbling back after the blast. Liepard struggled to her feet and glared at Darumaka.

 _'Okay...now I'm pissed...'_

What proceeded after that was a little hard to watch. After a succession of Fury Swipes and a few Night Slashes, Darumaka was rendered unconscious. Liepard breathed heavily and then huffed, turning her nose up at the concussed heap in front of her.

"Your Liepard...scares me..." Jay said nervously, hiding behind Katsu.

"She won't hurt you...she just gets into these moods sometimes..." Katsu muttered.

"Well...I suppose I should finish the job."

Katsu took out an unused Pokeball and threw it at Darumaka, catching the little critter without any difficulty. He picked up his new teammate and placed him under his belt.

"Thanks Liepard, that was great. Get some rest."

Liepard nodded as she was returned to her ball. Katsu breathed a relieved sigh and turned to Jay.

"Well, shall we get going? Burgh will be waiting for us back at the gym so let's stop at the Pokemon Center beforehand."

"R-right...let's go." Jay said with a soft smile.

Katsu and Jay soon headed back into Castelia City. So far, the morning had been eventful. The afternoon sun was now high above the sky and everything was looking bright for the duo. With his gym challenge up ahead, he now had a fourth Pokemon to add to his list.

 **And that brings this chapter to an end. How was it? Did you like it? Tell me your thoughts. So yeah, Liepard is finally here! Too bad the rest of his Pokemon won't evolve til later. Darn high level evolutions...Anyway, this was fun to right. Once again, credit to PG-13 for the sewer scene idea and the way to evolve Purrloin. Seriously, go check out his stuff, it's great. Anyway, it's break time for about an hour or so until my tablet recharges. Then the next few chapters will follow! I hope you're enjoying yourselves because I sure am! Find out how the battle goes in the next installment of Icy Wrath!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again everyone! It's that time again! So far I am enjoying how this new fic is turning out. Everything is going smoothly so far and I am rather pleased with things. I hope everyone liked how I made Darumaka...I wanted him to be a bit of comic relief. Believe it or not, I was coming up with this fic idea towards the previous few chapters of my other one. Anyway, this chapter might be a bit long so just sit back and enjoy. Another idea straight from the mind of PG-13 is on the way in this chapter. What? It's his OC isn't it? He can make suggestions. :P (Also...PG if I've had you gender confused or something, let me know...) Anyway, with that stated, shall we get things going?! It's time for a rumble!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 10: The Bug Battle and Jay's Gratitude**

Katsu stood in front of the Castelia City Gym, his eyes fixated on the doorway as he breathed in deeply. This was it. He finally had his team sorted out and the order he'd use. Bugs were tricky and he knew he'd have to be on his guard. He hated to admit it, but this was probably going to be one of his more tougher battles. Sure, he had Rufflet, and now he had Darumaka. But Burgh probably trained his Pokemon to fight against both types like all leaders did.

The only difference between this battle and the one in Virbank was now...he had the advantage. But that would only get him so far. He sighed softly and looked over at Jay who was standing by his side holding an icecream cone, ready to go into the gym. He reached out and pulled the doors open, letting Jay go in first and then followed her. He blinked when he saw the gym. Even Jay was taken aback. It was beautiful.

Paintings were hung all over the walls of the gym. And the inside looked as though it were a botanical garden of sorts with a path. Dozens of Bug-types littered the area. Burgh could be seen painting something near the arena. There were a lot of colors splashed onto the artwork with what appeared to be a Crustle in the foreground.

Katsu couldn't help but admire the way Burgh painted. It was as if the brush were an extension of himself. Each stroke was made precisely how he wanted it as he created a masterpiece on the canvass. Every stroke had meaning to it which was what caught Katsu's attention at once. Burgh finished his work and untied his apron, which was completely splattered in paint. He looked proudly at his work before turning around.

"Oh, you two are here. Splendid! Well, what do you think? Isn't this a remarkable work of art?" Burgh inquired, gesturing to his handywork around the gym.

"I gotta hand it to you Burgh, your work is impressive. You've got a lot of talent when it comes to art."

"I'm pleased to hear you say that Katsu."

"You remembered my name...most people forget if it's only told to them once."

"Well, your name won't be forgotten much longer after your performance in Riolu Boy. That was simply marvelous!"

"You saw that?"

"I think the better question would be, who didn't?" Burgh laughed.

"I see...this is embarrassing..."

"Anyway, let's get to our battle shall we? I know that's the reason you've come, is it not? I'm just eager to see what kind of art you create on the canvass called the arena. Yes, I can see it already, our Pokemon caught up in a whirlwind of a fight, colors of all sorts clashing to create a masterpiece. I simply can't wait! Ref? Would you do the honors?"

"Of course Burgh. This battle will be between Castelia City Gym Leader; Burgh and the challenger; Katsu Aiko! This will be a four on four battle. Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the first move! Ready? Begin!"

"Alright, Accelgor, let's go!"

"Rufflet, you're up!"

Accelgor looked up as the shimmering Rufflet immerged onto the field. Burgh's eyes grew wide and practically sparkled as he saw how beautiful Katsu's shiny Rufflet was. He had no words.

"That...is just...I...I don't know what to say. I feel another wave of inspiration! I simply must paint after this match."

 _'At least he didn't ask me where I got it...so that's new...'_

Jay giggled at this comment and licked her cone. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy watching this battle as much as she had the first one. The best part was, there were not a lot of people around so she wouldn't have to worry about too many thoughts bombarding her ears.

 _'Let's see...an Accelgor. If I remember correctly...these things are fast. Rufflet is at a disadvantage when it comes to speed here...I guess I'll have to rely on his force then. Judging by the looks of things, Accelgor relies on his speed but his defenses are poor...'_

Katsu deduced, reading Accelgor via his aura to get a good idea of how to approach something that moved at near Legendary speeds. As Katsu suspected...this was going to be tough.

 _'Wait...that's right..it knows THAT now...well, now would be as good a time as any to abuse it...'_

"Rufflet, use Wing Attack!"

"Double Team!"

Rufflet's wings began to glow as he plummeted towards Accelgor, aiming to clip his side on the way by. However, Accelgor suddenly split into multiple copies of himself, causing Rufflet to go right through one of them. After missing, Rufflet regained his barrings and turned around to see Accelgor was about ten yards away form his original position.

"Signal Beam!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Accelgor began to glow brightly. After gathering the necessary power he fired a multicolored beam of light towards Rufflet who barrel rolled out of the way, accelerating with intense speed in the process. The speed increase from the height he sacrificed allowed him to close in on Accelgor and ram into him before he could even have the chance to move.

Accelgor reeled from the attack and turned around to spot Rufflet hovering just above him, eyes watching him like the prey that he was. Rufflet circled overhead, awaiting the next command while Accelgor assessed the situation. He was sure he was faster than Rufflet as they were known mainly for their power. He couldn't afford to take another hit like the one he'd just received. His defenses wouldn't be able to handle.

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace again!"

There it was again, this time he would be ready for it. If this was a contest of speed, Accelgor easily had Rufflet beat.

"Accelgor, Bug Buzz!"

Rufflet came rocketing in, forging ahead as if there wasn't anything that would deter it. Accelgor waited until the proper moment and then fired off a powerful wave of energy that could be likened to the sound of buzzing bees, only amplified. Rufflet was thrown back and sent sprawling out of control.

"Quick Attack!"

Accelgor almost vanished at this point, and soon rammed right into Rufflet, knocking him to the ground. Rufflet skidded across the floor and struggled to gain altitude again, but managed. This was actually where Rufflet liked to be. In the heat of battle, scarred up and panting for air. This was his thrill.

"Signal Beam!"

"Wing Attack!"

Accelgor fired off another multicolored blast only to hit nothing but air as Rufflet pulled a kulbit, bringing himself above the path of the Accelgor's attack. He used the speed he'd gained from the loop and the drop to get the jump on Accelgor and crashed into him with devastating force.

"Fury Attack!"

Rufflet screeched and loosed a barrage of scratches and pecks at Bug-type. Accelgor was now a mess. He struggled to remain in place. His fatigue was becoming more apparent now and both he and Rufflet knew that the next attack was going to end it.

"Quick Attack!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Wings clashed with the wraps and soon all was still. Rufflet landed behind Accelgor with his wings spread out and Accelgor was standing with his arms out as well. There was an audible _thud_ and Accelgor collapsed. Rufflet remained standing and looked over at the fallen Accelgor.

"Accelgor is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" The referee declared.

"Well I'll be, that was most impressive!" Burgh complimented, returning Accelgor to his ball.

"Thanks...your Accelgor is fast..."

"And your Rufflet is strong. But strength isn't everything. Dwebble, let's do it!"

The crustacean appeared on the field and glanced up at Rufflet with its beady black eyes. Rufflet screeched a challenge to it which Dwebble responded by stepping forwards, snapping its pincers.

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

"Dwebble, Feint Attack!"

Rufflet dove downwards at the shell armored bug only to hit...nothing. Dwebble had completely vanished which caused Rufflet to flap his wings frantically in surprise. Dwebble appeared behind him and dealt him a heavy blow, sending him flying across the arena.

"Finish this with Rock Blast!"

Dwebble tapped into the energies of the earth, willing the air above him to produce a solid mass of rock which he launched at Rufflet. The eaglet was too worn out to even take flight. An explosion rang out and dust scattered everywhere in the arena. When it all cleared, Rufflet was knocked out cold.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Dwebble wins!"

"Heh...good job Rufflet, you deserve a good rest..." Katsu sighed, returning Rufflet to his ball.

 **X-X-X**

 _'That was rather rough, eh Dusk?'_

 _'Agreed Gen...I wonder how he will respond to his companion's defeat...'_

 _'I know he'll win...'_ Jay replied, taking another lick of her cone.

 _'You're certain Jay?'_

 _'I don't know how...but I just know he will. He doesn't seem to be one to give up...'_ Jay replied with a soft smile.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu thought about who he would use next. He needed someone who would be able to deal some damage. In this case, the choice was clear.

"Liepard, let's go!"

The purple feline leapt from her ball and crouched low, a devious grin on her visage as she saw what she was up against. Dwebble sweat-dropped at the sight of the large feline. The look she gave him was mischievous and he didn't like it one bit.

"Feint Attack!"

Liepard, you too!"

Both Pokemon suddenly vanished. The battle field was silent at this point. Soon claw clashed with pincer as both Pokemon came back into view. Having the size advantage, Liepard's attack knocked Dwebble back several feet, sending it skidding along the ground before rising back up. Liepard's tail twitched back and forth in anticipation. She loved games like this. It was almost like playing a game of cat and mouse.

"Rock Blast!"

"Feint Attack, then use Night Slash!"

The ground beneath Dwebble trembled as he gathered the needed energy from Mother Nature and formulated rock above his head. He then launched several towards Liepard, who vanished without a trace. Her feet were moving too fast to even make sound on the ground beneath her feet. Her predatory instincts kicked in as she closed the distance, silently, between her and her prey. She reappeared at his back and lashed out at him with one claw and powered up the other for a Night Slash, cracking the shell and sending the bug straight into a wall. When the dust cleared, Dwebble was knocked out cold.

"Dwebble is unable to battle! Liepard wins!"

"Another spectacular battle. I expected as much from Liepard, but you still have a ways to go before you earn a badge from me. I want to see more creativity, more style! Let's go Durant!"

The metallic ant scuttled onto the field, clicking together his steel incisors before glaring over at Liepard.

 _'This one's a Steel/Bug-type...great...this won't be easy...then again, I never expected him to make it that way...'_

"Liepard, return!" Katsu stated, bringing Liepard back into her ball.

"Riolu, you're up!"

Riolu appeared on the arena floor in a three point stance, his crimson hues now focusing on the battle at hand.

 _'Ah...a Durant...those things sure can take a beating. Then again...their half steel typing makes them able to be damaged more easily by my moves...good thinking...but one question though...why not use the crazy ape you caught recently? He'd be much more effective...'_

 _'While that may be true...Durant is are slightly faster than Darumaka and when you aura boost, you're even quicker...I need agile, not explosive right now...'_

 _'I see...fair enough...'_

"Durant, use Iron Head!"

 _'Force Palm...'_

Durant's metal body gleamed brightly as he raced towards Riolu. As expected, Durant was incredibly fast. Even the Dwebble from before was quick. Bugh seemed to love having the speed advantage. But this was something Burgh probably never fought against before. As Durant got closer, Riolu pivoted and swung his palm forward, slamming his paw into the oncoming Durant, his aura boosting the strength of the blow. The resulting shockwave pushed Durant backwards, bouncing along the ground after the attack.

"What...was that?" Burgh inquired, raising a brow at Kastu.

"Looks like I'll have to explain this at every gym...it's telepathy...in essence, Riolu and I have a mental connection. It's complicated..."

"I see, that explains why Riolu was able to react the way he did. Interesting, that's ingenious!

Katsu raised brow at this remark. He wouldn't call it that really, just tactical advantage. Burgh couldn't hear what he was telling Riolu, therefore he couldn't counter easily. Sure, some saw it unfair, but that's how things worked.

"Stone Edge!"

 _'Vacuum Wave...'_

Durant began channeling the energies of the earth beneath him, effectively producing a massive amount of rocks which were promptly flung in Riolu's direction. Riolu whirled his arms around windmill style before leaping up from his standing position, twirling around before swinging his arms apart and firing the Vacuum Wave towards the Stone Edge, creating a massive explosion in the air, sending small pieces of stone flying in different directions.

"Dig, Durant!"

Durant quickly burrowed underground. Katsu remembered a situation similar to this one at Virbank Gym. Roxie's Scolipede did the same exact thing. A smirk crossed Katsu's features as he and Riolu both closed their eyes, waiting for the right moment to retaliate. Jay watched the fight with anticipation. She too, remembered something similar happening and was closely observing how this would turn out. Would it be the same? She couldn't be sure.

Katsu's eyes shot open in sync with Riolu's as they both felt Durant approach. It was time to try out something new. Katsu had nearly forgotten that Riolu could learn it.

 _'Move right and use Sky Uppercut!'_

Durant blasted out of the ground, his incisors missing Riolu by mere inches. Riolu whirled around with a glowing right arm and twisted as he shot his arm upwards, knocking Durant high into the air with a powerful uppercut. Burgh's mouth gaped, and so did Jay's as Durant was sent flying high above the arena.

 _'Knock it down with Force Palm to end it...'_

Getting the message, Riolu rocketed upwards into the air, twisting around with a glowing palm before slamming it into Durant, sending the steel ant plummeting into the arena floor. BOOM! Durnt landed heavily, creating a small and deep crater. Weighing 72 pounds in steel and falling from a height as high as he was was more than enough to finish the fight. Durant was out of it, completely.

"Durant is unable to battle! Riolu wins!" The referee called out.

"Not bad Katsu, you suprised me. I don't think I've ever seen that happen before," Burgh said as he returned Durant.

"Thanks...I train as hard as I can."

"That's good, because you're going to need it all here...Leavanny you're on!"

 _'I don't like this...'_

 _'Nor do I Riolu...there must be a reason why he saved Leavanny for last. It must be his strongest...be on guard...'_

"Aerial Ace!"

 _'Avoid it and use Vacuum Wave!'_

Riolu pivoted on his left and almost got out of the way, however Leavanny proved to be faster and scored a direct hit with the Aerial Ace which sent Riolu flying backwards.

 _"You okay?"_

 _"Yeah...she got me good though...'_

 _'That's fine, just stay alert...'_

 _'Got it...'_

"Use Leaf Blade!"

 _'Quick Attack!'_

Leavanny surged forwards, her one arm extended and glowing a bright emerald hue. Riolu kicked off and raced towards Leavanny, using the superior speed he'd gained from the boost to power his assault. The two collided, however it was apparent that Leavanny had the upper-hand as in that regard. Riolu, though he softened the blow, was still sent backwards onto his rear.

He struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with determination as he stared Leavanny down.

"Aerial Ace!"

 _'Force Palm!'_

Riolu raced foward with his palm outstretched, aura arcing across his arm as he aimed to strike. Leavanny proved faster once more and avoided the palm before slashing out at Riolu, sending him flying above and behind her, landing on the ground in a heap.

"Riolu is unable to battle! Leavanny wins!"

"Most excellent Leavanny! That was beautifully done!"

Katsu sighed and returned Riolu to his ball. This was going to be tougher than he anticipated. He needed to match that speed, and he had just the way to do it.

"Liepard, go get her!"

Liepard erupted onto the field once more, a devious grin on her feline features as she stared at Leavanny.

 _'I know I'm at a disadvantage...but when it comes to speed here...Liepard has this covered...'_

"X-Scissor!"

"Feint Attack!"

Leavanny charged forwards, her arms glowing a bright emerald color as she crossed them before her, aiming to ram into Liepard with lethal force. Before she reached Liepard, she disappeared, leaving no target to be found. Before Leavanny knew it she was knocked in the back and sent tumbling away. Liepard smirked as she looked at her handiwork and crouched low as Leavanny got up.

"Grass Knot!"

Leavanny began to glow brightly and soon the grass beneath Liepard's feet was manipulated and a spiral of grass blades shot up and knocked her forwards, tripping her up.

"X-Scissor to end it!"

"Feint Attack!"

Liepard couldn't regain her barrings fast enough and was barrled into by Leavanny. The attack connected with sheer power and sent Liepard sprawling backwards, rolling and bouncing along the ground until she skidded to a stop in front of Katsu, lying in a heap.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Leavanny wins!" The referee announced once more.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Rats! I thought for sure Liepard had that...'_ Jay grumbled mentally.

 _'Well...she was at a disadvantage...'_

 _'Indeed she was Gen...it looks like it's up to that other Pokemon he caught...though I'm not sure how he'll use such a strange creature...'_ Dusk commented.

 **X-X-X**

"You did great Liepard, I'm proud of you..." Katsu smiled, returning Liepard to her ball.

"Well Katsu, only one left. This will decide the match. I hope you can put a little more flare into your style Katsu. Otherwise you'll have to train harder."

"Oh...I'll give you flare alright. Darumaka, you're up!"

Darumaka appeared with all of his limbs inside of his body, and he appeared to be sleeping. He yawned as he awoke and moved his limbs out of his body and looked blankly at Leavanny. The thought soon occured to him that he was in a battle. He liked battles. Darumaka soon began to dance around as his inner fire was ignited.

"Uh...what's he doing?"

"Oh, that's just how he is...he seems to be an excitable Pokemon so I figured I'd just let him do his thing..." Katsu smirked.

"I see...interesting...Leavanny, Aerial Ace!"

"Darumaka, Incinerate!"

Darumaka pointed at Leavanny and began shouting wildly at her. Nobody in the room, save for Jay and her Pokemon could understand what it was saying.

 _'Did he just-'_

 _'Yep...he's a firin' his laser...'_ Dusk repeated.

As Leavanny got closer, Darumaka opened wide and blasted her at point blank range, blasting Leavanny back a few feet. She shook the blast off, though it did considerable damage and looked around to see Darumaka was running and hopping around wildly. She blinked at the rather loony Pokemon, unable to make heads or tails of what she was seeing.

"Darumaka, Fire Punch!"

"Aerial Ace again!"

Leavanny darted towards Darumaka once more only to miss due to how much Darumaka was moving around. He just wouldn't stay still no matter what. Darumaka wheeled around and threw a hard right hook into Leavanny, connecting the powerful Fire Punch with great force. Leavanny was once again hit with a powerful super-effective move. Smoke rose up from her frame as a burn effect set in. Darumaka was still bouncing around wildly like a little child on a sugar high.

"Fire Punch one last time!"

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade!"

Leavanny tried to move to the side, but the burns sapped her strength, thus she was hammered hard with a powerful Fire Punch once more and driven into the ground. Dust kicked up from the impact and when it cleared, Leavanny was knocked unconscious.

"Leavanny is unable to battle! Darumaka wins and the match goes to Katsu Aiko!" The referee announced.

"Awesome Darumaka!" Katsu cheered, causing the little bundle of speed to leap into his arms.

Katsu could feel that he was quite warm, and that was probably due to his inner fire.

Jay let out a sigh of relief. She even giggled a little in that match due to how Darumaka acted. He had to be the silliest Pokemon Katsu had with him. A soft smile rested on her features as she watched her friend celebrate.

"That was impressive. Your Darumaka's unpredictable style had me rather dizzy with all his running around. I almost couldn't think clearly. You've earned the Insect Badge!"

Katsu grinned as he took the badge from Burgh. It was an up hill battle at the end but he and his team managed to pull it off.

 _'He seems so happy. I just can't get my mind off it. He's been so nice to me...even though I'm a total klutz...and awkward as all get-out. I want to do something special for him to show my appreciation...OH! I know! Castelia Cones! I'm not sure if he's had a taste of that yet...'_

 _'That stuff...is awesome...'_ Gen grinned.

 _'I'm surprised we can even eat them...we're ghosts...'_ Dusk murmured.

 _'That's why they're awesome...'_

Drifblim simply sighed and turned back to Jay who was actually smiling happily for once. Dusk and Gen seemed to notice this as well and exchanged knowing glances.

"Well, that's your third badge. You're well on your way to the League, but it's a long way off still. Keep up the good work. You are a wonderful trainer!" Burgh complimented.

"Thanks Burgh, that means a lot to me."

"You're welcome Katsu, have a great day."

Katsu smiled and nodded, turning to walk towards Jay who was waiting by the door. She had a smile resting on her features. Something that wasn't there often.

"Great job Katsu...I-I'm glad you won."

"Thanks Jay, but really, it helped that you were there. Knowing I had support helped a great deal," Katsu chuckled.

Jay blushed at this remark and hid her face in her hands when Katsu turned away. She shook her head vigorously and caught up to him.

"So, I've decided...that is...i-if you want...we could go to Castelia Cones to celebrate your victory?"

Katsu paused for moment. He'd heard of the place, considering it was well known for its mouth watering desserts.

"Sure, but first, I want to go and heal my Pokemon. Maybe after?"

"O-or, maybe I can bring them to you? I don't mind..."

"If you want. I'd love that actually...that battle made me hungry, I didn't exactly get any breakfast..."

"Well alright then! I'm on it," Jay smiled, walking off, giggling somewhat as she made her way to the famous shop.

Katsu laughed softly to himself as he walked into the Pokemon Center. It was getting to be late in the afternoon and that meant the sun would go down in a few hours. He handed his Pokemon over to the nurse Joy behind the counter and took a room key from her. He figured he wouldn't have much time to make it to the next city by nightfall.

He walked up the stairs and down the hallway to put his stuff away. He was going to go for a walk. He threw his stuff on the bed and walked out of the Pokemon Center to see if he could find Jay. He had no clue where Castelia Cones was after all.

 **X-X-X**

"Eh?! You're out?!" Jay exclaimed, hanging her head at the words the man behind the counter said.

"I'm sorry young lady, the last batch went out today...if you had come earlier you would have been able to get some. We won't have any more ready until tomorrow morning."

Jay sniffled a little as this seemed like a disaster to her. The man behind the counter, feeling a little bad for her, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and paper.

"Tell you what...here is the recipe for them. I even wrote out the temperatures they need to be made at and how to get them just right. I don't usually do this, but I can't help but feel that this is for something important...just keep this between us...okay?"

Jay's eyes lit up as the recipe was given to her. Yes! She could give them to Katsu after all. Not only that, she could _make_ them for him. It was always said that no greater gift is there then one given by a friend who had made it. She raced back to the Pokemon Center. Trainers were allowed to use the kitchen with permission of course. She thanked the nurse behind the counter and rushed into the kitchen.

She opened the recipe which had been given to her, along with pictures of what it should look like when done. Her, Gen, Dusk and Drifblim all stared at the instructions.

"Okay, first, let's gather the ingredients..."

 _'I'm on it...'_ Gen said, diving into the cupboard for the sugar.

 _'Me too...'_ Dusk replied, going to find the other ingredients.

Once they were all out on the table, they looked at what to do next and...yeah, they had nothing. Getting the ingredients was the easy part, but when it came to cooking, they had no clue what to do at all. Jay had always relied on her parents credits to buy food at some of the best places in town. She had never once learned to cook a day in her life.

 _'So uh...how does this even work?'_

 _'Not sure Gen...let's see what we can do though...'_

 _'Right, we need to do our best Dusk.'_

 _Sometime later..._

 _'I give up! Let's just try and match what the picture shows, it can't be that hard can it?'_ Gen stated.

 _'I suppose that could work...somehow we managed to at least make the cones the right shape...but what does one do with the cream?'_

 _'Oh! I know!'_ Came Gen's reply.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu was now walking by the Pokemon Center when he heard an audible _BOOM!_ He blinked as he saw smoke coming out of the doors which alarmed him. He knew that Jay was in there and if there was a fire it would mean bad news. He darted into the center only to see smoke coming from the kitchen. It was dying down but everything seemed to be a wreck.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Jay said over and over, bowing her head repeatedly.

"Look what you've done to the place! I said you could use the kitchen not blow it up!" Joy growled.

Gen and Dusk hid themselves from view and Drifblim looked as embarrassed as Jay. Katsu sighed softly and walked into the kitchen to see what had happened.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry! I...Katsu!"

Jay sputtered, her eyes widened when she saw Katsu walking in. She rushed past the nurse with a tray full of what appeared to be somewhat decent looking Castelia Cones. There were quite a few of them on the tray. Jay still hung her head as she offered the tray to him.

His sapphire hues looked over her form. She was a mess. She was covered in soot and her hair was a little singed. There was cream on her clothes and apron. Somehow the stuff got on her shoes too. He took one and looked at it for a moment and then looked back at her.

"What's in it?"

"I-I forgot? Sorry! I-it all happened so fast. And then the sink spontaneously combusted...and...and...the stove caught fire..." Her lips quivered.

Katsu raised a brow and looked over at Gen and Dusk who were invisible but visibly exhausted. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at the cone. He didn't like not knowing the contents, but he felt like she went through a lot of trouble to make it for him. The nurse was just patiently watching the two, her facial expression no longer irritated.

Katsu bit into the top of the cone and his eyes widened. Jay cringed a bit at this. What if he thought it was horrible? That would make her feel terrible.

"This...this is...really good...I don't know what you guys did but this is really good!" Katsu said with a bright smile.

Her eyes widened and a smile lit up her features and she leaped for joy. In the middle of her celebration, she had completely forgotten about the mess she'd made and that Joy was standing behind her. She turned around and started to apologize when Joy stopped her.

"It's alright, no harm done."

"Wait...what? B-b-but I..."

"Don't worry about it, things happen right? I'll clean it up, don't worry about it."

"N-no, I'll do it! I made the mess!" Jay replied hastily, not wanting the nurse to have to clean up after her.

"At least check and see if anything else is damaged? I'll be in to help you in a bit."

"O-okay..." Jay sighed, relieved and confused at the same time.

Katsu continued to munch on his cone. Dusk stayed behind and floated up to Katsu, laughing a little as Katsu enjoyed his treat.

 _'Well, that went well...'_

Katsu blinked as he looked at Dusk. Since when was he able to communicte with him?

 _You look puzzled. I guess you didn't realize that your aura isn't just limited to Riolu, but if you really work at it, you can talk to -all- Pokemon...'_

 _'I see...that explains a few things...so, what's up?'_ Katsu inquired.

 _'I just wanted to say thank you.'_

 _'Why?'_

 _'Well...you see, she was so wrapped up in you and your gym battle, and getting you the cones, she forgot her own 16th birthday.'_

Katsu's eyes widned a lot at this, and he nearly dropped his cone. He thought she was younger, but she was closer to his age than he thought. That's not what he was concerned about. He felt bad all of a sudden for her going out of her way on her own birthday to give him something when he should be the one giving.

 _'I see...sorry if I caused her to-'_

 _'Don't worry about it Katsu. It's because of you that she is the happiest I have ever seen her...now if you'll excuse me I'd better go and help...'_

 _'Sure thing...'_

Dusk nodded and floated off, Nurse Joy being unaware of his presence. She turned with a smile towards Katsu and walked over to him.

"So...what made you decide to let it slide?" Katsu inquired curiously.

A giggle escaped the lips of Joy as she turned towards the kitchen where Jay was cleaning up. She noticed how happy Jay seemed, even though she had a bit of a mishap. She caught it the moment Katsu walked into the kitchen. A smile played on her features as she looked back at Katsu.

"I remember my first love..." She said with a smirk as she stood beside Katsu.

"What now?"

"A girl's heart is a precious thing Katsu," She snickered, nudging him playfully before walking away.

"Take care of it," she said before walking away giggling.

Katsu blinked at these words. Did she think that Jay and he were...

 _BOOM!_

"SORRY!"

 **Oh Jay, you adorable little awkward thing you. Okay, so it wasn't as long as I was anticipating. Regardless, it was fun to write! Once again, a big thanks to PG-13 for the bit about the Castelia Cones. Everything went better than expected. Katsu has his third badge, Hugh went on ahead, and Alice won't show up til later. Whoever sent me the OC submission in the review section, thank you, I will consider him in future chapters. However, Mega Evolutions won't be present this time around. But I will keep the team the same. Other than that, I like the idea and will make use of it sometime later. In any case, how was it everyone? Enjoy it? I hope so because there is more to come, next time on Icy Wrath!**


	11. Chapter 11

**ALOHA! Good morning everyone! Mango here with another update! So, why so focused on this new one now you ask? Well, I am outlining the other events that will take place now that they are heading back out again. I am making sure to bring the same good stuff I did when Team Flare was still lurking about. So in the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the ride in Icy Wrath. Huge thanks to those reading and reviewing I highly appreciate it. So, how did you like the previous chapter? I hope it was fun to read. Now, why don't we get down to some more serious business shall we? Now, remember when I said I was going to add my own style to the game? I'm introducing a different branch of Team Plasma that is of my own creation at some point. In anycase, let's get to it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 11: The Perfect Gift**

"Are you certain about this?"

"Very...this boy must be closely watched. If left unchecked he will become a thorn in our side. If this keeps up...I'll be sending _them_ in."

"You don't mean-"

"I do...if he gets in our way again...they will deal with him..."

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay sat down in the dining room that evening. They were having one of the Castelia Cones that Jay made. She had to admit, for her first time cooking? These were pretty good. They were pretty darn close to the one she'd had on the way to the gym. The thought occurred to her that she should have brought him there before the gym first so that disaster wouldn't have happened. She still felt embarrassed about it. She had her headphones in and her music was up so trying to talk to her would be impossible unless one tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

Katsu took another bite of his cone, his eyes shifting over to Jay while she munched on hers. She looked up a bit, giving him brief smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. Katsu smiled back. His mind was in a completely different place, however. He didn't even realize that it was her birthday today. Then again, he can't exactly be faulted for it, he didn't know. He wanted to get her something for it, but what? He couldn't think of anything to get her and it irked him.

 _'Something wrong?'_

 _'Errr...it's nothing Dusknoir...just thinking...'_

 _'About? And call me Dusk...no need to be formal...'_

 _'Right...sorry, Dusk. It's just that, well...I kinda want to get her something in return but I don't know what she likes...'_

 _'I see...she has very...peculiar interests...some of them I won't go into great detail about. Though it may not look like it, she's a hopeless romantic...'_

 _'Say what now?'_

 _'Surprised? You should hear some of the music she listens to...and I won't even go into the books...anyway, never mind those...'_

 _'Got it...so, what does she like?'_

 _'Stamps...'_

 _'Come again?'_

 _'She likes to collect stamps. All kinds from different regions. However...there is one stamp collection she hasn't got. She's REALLY wanted it for a while but has never gotten the chance to go there to get it.'_

 _'And that is...?'_

 _'The Kanto region...'_

 _'Really? I studied Martial Arts out there. I went around the entire region with my teachers. So, she wants stamps from Kanto...hmmm...I could get ahold of my dad since he happens to be there on a job. Maybe he might know somewhere that sells stamps here...'_

 _'If you did that...I think you would make her very happy...'_

Katsu glanced over at Jay who was still content listening to her music and eating her cone.

 _'Don't worry...when she has those in, she can't hear us. And Gen is too preoccupied to do so as well...word of advice...Gen is a little out of sorts at times...I apologize for what he did yesterday. He means well, but he goes a little far at times...sometimes I have to clean up his messes...'_

 _'Let me guess...the kitchen?'_

 _'Yes...that was his mess...'_

 _'How did that happen?'_

 _'Some things are best left unsaid Katsu...'_

 _'Gotcha...'_

Katsu chuckled softly to himself as he continued eating his cone. So she liked Stamps huh? Well, he still had some time before the sun completely set and shops closed down. He could probably get ahold of his dad at this hour. He'd be up by this time anyway. Kanto was about a day ahead of Unova anyway. Without word, Katsu got up and went to his room. He figured he'd get a head start on this so he could do some looking around.

Katsu got out his XTransceiver and pulled up his dad's number. He dialed it in and waited.

 **X-X-X**

"Yes...alright, sure, I'll be there in a minute. I just have to finish up something here before I start the new project. What's that? Oh...hang on a minute David I have call coming in."

"Katsu? Hey there how's my boy?!" Mr. Aiko grinned.

"I'm doing well dad, how are things over there?"

"They're going great. We've found quite a few fossils and are hauling them to the lab. What about you? Your mother tells me you've been doing well so far. Two badges now is it?"

"Three actually..."

"Three?! Way to go my boy! So, any particular reason why you called? Or did you just wanna say hi to your old man?"

"Actually, it's a bit of both. This may sound odd...but do you know of anywhere I can find a Kanto stamp collection?"

"I didn't know you were into that sort of thing son. You were always into swordsmanship and other various Martial Arts..."

"It's not for me dad it's for...someone else..."

"Ah, could it be for the little companion you have with you? I hear she's a cute one son."

"Dad...not now...I get enough of that from mom..."

"Right, go get'er tiger. Anyway, Hmmm...there are a couple of shops around that sell rare and unusual items. Have you tried Narrow Street?"

"That place? Isn't it a little sketch?"

"Yes...but they have some of the best things there. A few go there during the day when it's not as bad so they can get some of the rare commodities. It's the best place to look. Just be wary of the thugs in the area. They can be quite unruly. Then again...you never had a problem with that now did you son?" Mr. Aiko smirked.

"Nope...and thanks dad, I owe ya."

"Just be safe okay? I know you get your recklessness from me but try not to worry your mother too much. I really don't want an earful from her."

"Right...because you know she'll whoop you..."

"I don't know about that...but it's best not to anger her. She can be quite scary at times."

"I know...trust me...I know dad."

"I know you do. Anyway son, I enjoyed this chat and I hope my information helps. I need to get back to work now so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay dad, and thanks again..."

"You're welcome son..." Mr. Aiko said before winking out.

 _'So it's Narrow Street huh? Didn't even know my dad went in there. Then again, he's done stranger things. In any case, I need to get over there. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to keep her occupied while I look...'_

 _'I can help with that...'_

 _'Dusk? I take it you heard huh?'_

 _'Of course...'_

 _'By the way, why are you in here?'_

 _'Jay wanted me to see what you were up to. She wondered where you went is all.'_

 _'I see, well, I'm alright as you can see. Let her know that I'm got a little business to attend to and that I'll be back in a little while..'_

 _'Already planned on it...good luck...'_

Katsu nodded as Dusk exited the room. He could never figure out that Pokemon. He seemed completely different from Gen who was way more mischievous. Katsu picked up his bokken and strapped it on his back and headed out. He had his wallet on him so he could pay for anything that he found. As he got into the dining room, Jay was nowhere to be seen. Dusk and the others must have taken her somewhere. A faint smile rested on Katsu's features as he walked out of the center.

He pulled up a map to figure out where Narrow Street was. He'd only heard about the place, which was why be brought his bokken. Soon, he found himself on Narrow Street. It was getting dark, and of course there were going to be some shady people about. Then again, he expected as much. The shop keeper was still there, fortunately. He sighed as he trekked down the street. The rule of thumb when dealing with thugs was always to never let the know you are afraid. Either that, or just ignore them.

In these situations, Katsu dawned a stoic expression, one that left his face unreadable. He walked past a few of the shady characters, not paying them any mind as he walked up to the shop and went inside. The shop was, as expected, filled with tons of rare items. Each commodity was displayed in a glass case with a price tag. It was actually a stark contrast as to what was out there. In the shop, cozy, almost homelike, out there, dingy and dark. It was a welcomed change.

"I told you, I can't simply give those to you! Now get-oh..." The shopkeeper paused, seeing Katsu walk inside.

"I apologize, I thought you were one of those thugs outside. Sometimes they come in here and bother me."

"It's fine...but may I ask, why is your shop located here?"

"Err...it was the only place I was able to open it up at the time. And besides...once you get used to the people outside it's not so bad..."

"I see..."

"So, what can I help you with?"

"Well...I am looking for something very specific. You wouldn't happen to collect stamps would you?"

"Stamps you say? Hmmm...as a matter of fact I do. For some odd reason people like that sort of thing so I carry several. Any thing in particular?"

"Actually, yes...got any Kanto region ones?"

"Oh my..."

Katsu didn't like the sound of that. Usually when that was the first line it meant they were out of it. He sighed softly and began to turn to leave.

"It just so happens you are in luck."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes...I don't usually tell anyone about these because not many seem to want them. I've been to many regions and collected stamps to sell for quite some time. When I learned that they were a hot item...just like bottle caps...strangely enough...I figured I'd start a collection and sell them."

"So...how many do you have?"

"All of them!"

Katsu couldn't believe his luck. First he'd hatched a shiny Rufflet. Because of that he was able to go on this journey, whereas if he hadn't, he'd be stuck at home. Liepard evolved at a critical moment, and now this man had the entire stamp collection. Katsu couldn't help but chuckle, this was great.

 **X-X-X**

"Ten thousand Pokedollars...that was ridiculous...That cut a third of my funds..." Katsu grumbled to himself.

The collection was tucked away inside his bag as he walked down Narrow Street. As he did this, several of the thugs blocked his path. He raised a brow as they weren't going to let him through it seemed.

"So, you went into the old man's shop huh? Must have scored something pretty pricey, mind if we...have a look?" The thug grinned.

"Actually...yes...I do mind...and I would suggest you let me through, before things get ugly..."

The thug threw his head back and laughed.

"You her that fellas? He says it's gonna get ' _ugly'_ if we don't let him through. Isn't that hilarious?!"

The others began to laugh as well.

"Listen kid, if you know what's good for ya, you'll hand over whatever it is you bought. We've been trying to bum stuff off the old man for weeks and you just waltz in there and come out with somethin' good and expect us to take that sitting down? Hand it over kid.."

"No..."

"Huh? What's that? You want a beating? Because we can do that...easily...just hand it over and you can be on your way."

Katsu replied by releasing his Pokemon, signaling that he'd rather battle his way out than just simply hand it over. The thugs exchanged glances and then sent out their Pokemon. Some had Krokorok's and others had Scraggy's and Grimers. Katsu raised a brow and looked at his team, nodding to them knowingly.

"Get him!"

Katsu sighed as he knew what was about to happen. The sound of battle echoed through the streets followed by several audible thuds. Every single Pokemon sent out after Katsu's was out cold. Katsu sighed and returned all his Pokemon and then turned towards the other exit, figuring he'd just leave them to their own devices. That's when a knife was thrown his way, which he leaned his head to the side to avoid it.

"Really? A knife? You'd try to kill me...just for something you probably won't even have a use for? You guys are pretty daft..." Katsu grumbled.

That's when he noticed they all had weapons, ranging from crowbars to bats and pipes. He noticed that each of them had a very basic stance which was easily readable. He rolled his eyes and assumed a Seigan stance.

"So, you think you can take all of us? There are about eight of us and one of you, those odds aren't exactly in your favor kid..." The thug grunted.

"Can we speed this up? I haven't got all night...and I have something _very_ important to do...I'd rather not waste my time on morons like you..." Katsu said firmly, his features dawning a stoic expression, his icy sapphire hues showing no expression whatsoever.

"What'd you just say? You wanna die punk?! Fine, get him!"

Katsu didn't make a move as they charged. His eyes were busy predicting their movements as they all aimed to beat him down. He stepped forwards with his right and parried the first blow while ducking away from the others. His movements were too quick for them to trace, that much was obvious.

 **X-X-X**

 _'So...why are we here again?'_

 _'We just thought you'd like to go on a stroll to take your mind off things...and coming to the park is a good way to do that...'_

 _'If you're sure Gen...'_

 _'Oh we are, right Dusk? Rif?'_

Both Pokemon nodded in unison. Jay couldn't help but feel that something was up. They were acting rather strange, or at least stranger than usual. She also wondered where Katsu was. She'd been told he'd met up with her later. But how much later? It was getting a bit late.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu parried one crowbar and knocked it out of a thugs hands and struck him in the gut before swinging the hilt of the bokken upwards to knock him in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards into two others. He whipped around as he felt approaching feet and slammed the bokken into the ribs of another thug, causing him to double over and collapse. All the while, the shopkeeper was watching very closely.

 _'This young man seems to be incredibly skilled...I don't think I've seen anyone move that way. Sure...there are some pretty fast swordsmen out there, but this...this is different somehow...'_

Katsu's next movement was as a blur. He slashed the bokken downwards and sent a Vacuum Wave bursting towards all eight of them which knocked them all back several feet, causing them to crash into the walls and trashcans in the alleyway. Dirt flew everywhere and when it cleared up, all of them were knocked out. Katsu sighed as he put away his bokken and looked over his handiwork. He then pulled out his XTransceiver and checked the time. It was 8:00 in the evening. It had gotten quite late, he should have been back at the center an hour ago.

"That was quite an excellent display of swordsmanship you put on there..."

Katsu turned around to look at the shopkeeper who was now standing outside.

"Thanks...sorry for the disruption...I wasn't really expecting any of this to happen. They really wanted the stamp collection for some apparent reason...then again they didn't even know that's what I'd gotten so they might have been disappointed."

"You're probably right...so, was that aura?"

Katsu blinked as he heard the man say this. How did a shopkeeper know about that? Then again...he was a rather elderly man and they say with age comes wisdom. Katsu couldn't lie his way out of that now that aura was the subject of conversation.

"Yeah...it was..."

"I see...it's been a while since the last aura adept stepped through here. You seem to favor the sword...perhaps I have something for you that you might be interested in..."

"If you're going to offer me something as pricy as the collection then I'm not interested..."

"Oh no...this one is on me..."

"I'm listening..."

A grin crossed the man's face as he beckoned Katsu back into his shop. Katsu followed, curious as to what the old man had to offer him. The old shopkeeper lead him to a back room where he saw an amazing sight. Several rare weapons were lining the walls. They all ranged from kodachi's to katanas. Each expertly crafted. Katsu practically drooled.

"Like what you see?" The shopkeeper smirked.

"You have no idea..."

"Well, then you're going to like this. Have a look..."

Katsu glanced over to where the man was gesturing and saw a lone sword with a decorative wooden scabbard on the wall. Katsu looked at it and then back at the shopkeeper.

"May I?"

"Of course..."

Katsu picked up the sword and unsheathed it, his eyes widening as he saw the designs along the blade. The hilt of the blade had vine-like decorations with a few roses carved into the hilt. There was an inscription in the hilt as well that read 'The Sword of Peace.' It was a fitting name since the blade itself was backwards. The dull side was where the edge should be.

"That sword is fitting for an aura user. It's durable, and can withstand impact greater than what you have there. Your bokken is finely crafted, but I've noticed a few dings in it. It seems to have been through a lot in its usage."

Katsu blinked and then pulled out his bokken. It did have a couple dents in it, but only slightly. Then again...that spar with Riolu the first time did a lot of damage to it as well. The wood must be chipping more. Katsu looked at the sword in his hand and held it up. The blade shimmered along the edge. Deciding to test it, he placed it back in the scabbard and put his bokken up. He then practiced one quick-draw technique and held the blade out to the side for but a moment.

He then resheathed it and turned to the man with a soft smile.

"I like it...but...I probably don't have enough for it..."

"Didn't you hear me? I said it's on me young man..."

"Are you sure? But this thing is worth 300,000 Pokedollars..."

"I know...but after seeing your proficiency with a bokken, and after taking out those thugs who were always bothering me...I felt that it just didn't seem right to just keep it in here."

"Besides, nobody seemed interested in it."

"How did you know I wouldn't want any of the other swords you have?"

"Because...those who carry a bokken along with a gentle spirit like yourself...would look rather strange wielding blade that was meant to kill..."

A smirk crossed Katsu's features as he hitched the new sword to his back, crossing it with his bokken.

"You're pretty perceptive old man...thanks..." Katsu smiled.

"Now...mind telling me why you bought the collection? I'm curious to know..."

Katsu blushed slightly at the inquiry as he thought about it. He scratched the back of his head before turning to speak.

"It's for someone...she gave me something special today so I thought...maybe I'd return and give her something as well. It's her birthday...and a good friend should always have something for their friend on that special day..."

"Are you sure it's not something else?"

"Don't you go doing this too..." Katsu mumbled.

"Women are delicate at times but stubborn, faithful and strong at others...whoever she is to you, that is up to you to decide..."

Katsu raised a brow and just decided to think about that comment later.

"In any case...be well young man. I know you'll put that sword to good use. Kendo is a very popular art, and I'm sure you'll meet others with similar spirits. Good luck on your journey."

"Thanks old man..." Katsu said as he stepped out of the shop.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Are you sure he went this way?'_

 _'I'm almost certain I saw him come over here...Gen, Rif?'_

 _'I think so. Oh! I know this place. It's that one fun creepy alley.'_

 _'I don't think you're making her decision to go down there any easier Gen...'_

 _'Oh she'll be fine Rif...don't worry. She'll probably just send whoever tries to touch her through a wall like she's done other times before.'_

 _'Gen...you never know when to stop talking do you?'_

 _'Nope Dusk, I don't. Hey, look over there!'_

Katsu was just exiting the shop when Gen spotted him. Jay looked up and saw that it was indeed Katsu, and apparently he had a new sword with him. Was that what he came here to do?

 _'Uh...guys? What happened here?'_

 _'Not sure Gen...but it looks like these thugs had the tar beaten out of them...huh. I wonder why...'_

 _'I bet I know...it was probably Katsu...'_

 _'Think so, Jay?'_

 _'Yep...look at their wounds...some even have splinters in them...and his bokken has been seeing a lot of use as of late. He probably went here to get a new one...'_

Gen and Dusk exchanged glances and shrugged. Katsu was just turning around when he saw Jay standing there with Gen and Dusk remaining invisible. Rif was hovering around her like usual. A smile crossed his features as he walked towards her.

"H-hey Katsu..." Jay said nervously.

"How are you Jay? Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah...just tired...that's all...I just realized that I forgot about what today is. My 16th birthday...the one everyone looks forward to as it isn't called the sweet 16 for nothing. I feel so stupid. I caused so much trouble today that I-"

Katsu cut her off as he placed a finger on her lips.

"Hey...don't beat yourself up over it. Also, I never got the chance to thank you for making the cones. I know things didn't go over as well as you'd hoped but they were great nonetheless. I have a little something for you...Dusk told me it was your birthday so I figured I'd get you something..."

"N-n-no, you don't have to...I mean...you really didn't need to-"

"Here...it's something you might like, I hope..." Katsu smiled.

Jay raised a brow as she took the package and began to unravel it. Her eyes started to grow wide when she saw something that looked like book with the map of Kanto on it. When she opened it up she teared up a bit. It was a Kanto stamp collection! The complete set. Every. single. stamp. She couldn't believe it. Too excited to speak she hugged Katsu tightly.

"Thank yoouuuuuuu! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She said repeatedly.

Katsu smiled softly and laughed as she pulled back, jumping up and down as she looked over the collection.

"This is...how did you...wait..." She said, looking back at Dusk who looked away, whistling. Gen was doing the same thing, even Rif.

"Were you three...?"

"All in on it...yeah, they kinda were..."

"Should have known..." Jay mumbled cutely.

Why did she have to be so cute? It was unfair, way, way unfair.

"Well, I suppose we should check into our rooms. It's getting late and I want to get a jump on getting to the next city after this. I'm tired and you probably are too..."

"Y-yeah...tired, but happy..." Jay giggled.

Katsu smiled softly and nodded. The two went back to the Pokemon Center and made their way to their respective rooms. Before Katsu could go into his room he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Katsu?" Jay hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks...for the stamps...you're really nice...I mean sweet...I mean...sorry!" She groaned, hugging him once more before stepping back.

"Err...thanks, and you're welcome," Katsu smiled.

Jay blushed slightly and then nodded before turning around.

"Good night Jay..."

"Night...Katsu..."

 **And that takes care of that. So now Katsu has a sakabatou which is a reverse blade sword in case any of you like those. I actually happen to have one and it's fun to practice with. I also have a bokken, several in fact. Anyway, so, what did you think? I deviated from the game a bit more in this regard because like I said, I want to put my own creativity into it. Also, credit for the information on Jay's stamp collecting hobby goes to PG-13. There was something else she liked...but that's for another time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter everyone. Be sure to review! Let me know what you think,it helps me. :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Good afternoon! How goes it my fellow readers/writers? Did you enjoy the previous chapter? I did say that it was going to be different didn't I? Most of the game events will take place if not all of them. However, to add more depth to the story, as I said, more twists will be inserted. So, with that said, it's time to get into another chapter that I've been preparing. I hope you all enjoy it! So let's get this show on the road shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 12: My Awkward Parents**

Jay awoke that morning rather groggily. Her hair was a complete mess. It looked as though a Pidgeot passed her which resulted in a sonic boom and thus the mess that was her hair. She yawned a bit, looking around the room with a blank stare. At that moment, an image of Katsu crossed her mind. She was embracing him after she'd received the gift he'd given her. She blushed profusely at this and shook her head vigorously and flailed her arms a bit which didn't help because one of them landed on the stamp collection which was promptly knocked to the floor.

She gasped and hurried out of bed, nearly falling to the floor so she could pick up her treasure. That's right. Her _treasure._ She sighed, relieved that her clumsiness hadn't broken something for once. She opened the collection and smiled at the contents. She admired all of the stamps, each one more artistic than the last. She couldn't help but feel, what's the word? Joyful? Warm and fuzzy? She didn't care. This was the first gift she'd gotten from someone besides her parents that made her happy.

Gen simply laughed at Jay due to how she had reacted. Dusk caught the blush on her features and knew exactly what was going on in her mind. He knew he had his duties to defend her from 'perverted boys' but she seemed to really _like_ Katsu. And Katsu wasn't a pervert. He could see the boy was sharp, carried himself with dignity and was very kind. Gen must have recognized this as well, in spite of his rude behaviour, Gen meant well. He was right, Katsu had _a lot_ going for him. He was almost tempted to join Gen in his shenanigans...almost. He had no idea why Gen made things so awkward for her. Did they have the same mission?

Dusk couldn't tell. Gen was unpredictable and he could be a headache at times. Nevertheless, all three of them protected Jay just the same. Jay got up and decided it was time to take a shower. She slipped out of her pajamas and hopped in the shower.

 _'So...100 Pokedollars says she'll try it first..'_

 _'Try what Gen?'_

 _'It...Dusk, you know, that thing humans do when they like each other?'_

 _'I hope you're not referring to THAT...'_

 _'No...THAT is completely different from IT though IT can be a part of THAT...'_

 _'I'm afraid I don't follow...'_

 _'I think what Gen is referring to is a kiss...'_

 _'Ah...okay, because for a second there I thought he was referring to-'_

 _'I can hear you!'_

 _'Abort! Abort!'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu had just woken up at this point. He was also stepping out of the shower after tossing some clothes onto the bed. A sigh escaped his lips as he walked out of the steaming hot bathroom. Closing the door, he began to get dressed. This time he wore a black and white cape jacket with a long sleeve black crew neck shirt beneath. He wore a pair of white cargos with an almost seatbelt style belt threaded through the loops. He put on black fingerless gloves and then slipped into his shoes. Walking over to the mirror, he began to fix his almost waist length auburn hair. It had grown longer than when he'd left home. It grew very fast but it never grew any farther than where it was now. He didn't need to become the male version of Rapunzel.

After getting the knots out of it he tied it back in his usual ponytail and left bangs hanging over his eyes. Rufflet had awoken after Darumaka rolled into him after also waking up. Katsu swore the little ball of spazz was going to give him a headache one of these days. However, he couldn't deny that he was instrumental in helping him with the gym. If not for his crazy battling style, Katsu might not have won. Katsu smiled softly as he looked at the rest of his party. Liepard was just waking up, Riolu was resting against her now which was a change. She smiled at the adorable little blue bundle and then looked up at Katsu. She was a little sad, mainly because there wouldn't be anymore shoulder rides. Oh well, at least she was stronger and could protect him better.

Everyone was now awake which was good because they had things to get done. He had done some digging on the next gym and figured out that the leader used Electric-types. She also had four Pokemon to use, though he didn't know which those were. He'd just have to roll with the punches on that one. Electric-types were quite powerful. He would need to train and be ready for that battle. Katsu stood up and glanced over at Rufflet who hopped off the pillow and flew to his right shoulder.

He left the others out of their Pokeballs, figuring they'd want some fresh air. After being cooped up for so long he figured they'd want to be out more. Liepard wanted to get used to her new form and Riolu was of course going to spar with Katsu once he got the chance. Rufflet wanted to stretch his wings and Darumaka...well...he was just Darumaka. The little guy never did settle down easily.

"Well guys, today we're headed for Nimbasa City. It's a really fun place. There's even an indoor rollercoaster and a ferris wheel.

 _'I want to ride the roller coaster!'_ Darumaka shouted.

 _'A ferris wheel? The thing that goes up really high...and backwards, downwards...and stuff?'_ Liepard asked.

 _'I'm up for trying the roller coaster as well...it sounds interesting...'_

 _'I second that Riolu...'_ Rufflet concurred.

Katsu blinked as everyone was talking. What was going on? He could hear Riolu talking and even the others too. It occurred to him that the more he used his aura to speak with them, the stronger it would become. Dusk had been right. He would be able to communicate with them all once he developed it more. All of that practice with Riolu was beginning to pay off.

 _'I see everyone's made their decision...'_

 _'You caught all of that?'_ Riolu asked wide eyed.

 _'Yep...it seems that my practicing telepathy with you has made it a bit stronger. I guess it's due to continual usage...huh. It's strange how that works. I noticed it when I could talk with Dusk whereas before I couldn't...'_

 _'Well, that's great. Because translating for everyone was going to get tiring after a while."_

 _'I suppose that's true...so, shall we get going?'_

 _'Yes...let's go, I'm eager to have some fun.'_

 **X-X-X**

Jay sighed softly as she stood in front of the video screen. Her phone was primarily for music and her XTransceiver didn't get too much use since she hardly had any contacts, just...mom and dad. The screen on it was a cracked due to some damage she'd accidentally done to it during a call. Her parents were arguing back and forth and it was giving her a headache and like what happens with a Psyduck...well, that was self explanatory. So now, she'd make calls from the Pokemon Center. She dialed her home in hopes her parents would pick up.

The screen came on and Jay's parents were standing there with a smile on their faces.

"H-hi mom, hi dad..." Jay greeted with a faint smile.

"There's my gorgeous little girl, how are you sweetie?" Her mother asked curiously.

"I'm f-fine mom. Thanks for asking."

"Jay, are you having fun on your journey? And have any boys been bothering you? Because if they have-"

"Introduce us to them! If that's the case...that is..." Emma (her mother) interjected.

"Emma, I don't want our daughter in the hands of some perverted boy who can't keep his hands to himself."

"Johnn, honestly, let her find love! She's a young lady now and at some point will need to have a husband that can take care of her."

"Emma...while I am aware of that, it is _my_ duty to protect her from every sick minded pervert out there. There are a lot of boys out there that are no good..."

"Errm...Mom...Dad? Please stop fighting...you're making my head hurt..."

"Oh...right, sorry...we don't want a repeat of last time do we?" Emma sighed.

"Right, anyways Jay, I do hope this journey is getting you out of your little slump. Before you left you were rather sluggish and depressed. But...I see something different in your eyes now, but I can't put my finger on it...hmmm..."

At that point, Katsu entered the lobby and spotted Jay talking on the phone. He blinked as he saw who she was talking to. There were two people. One was a rather attractive woman, most likely mid thirties while the other, a male, was entering his forties by the looks of things. Jay glanced back at Katsu and waved, causing him to wave back. It wasn't until after she did that...did it dawn on her that she shouldn't have.

 _'Oh no...'_ She thought, turning to face her parents.

"Jay, who is that boy?! Move, let me see him..." Johnn ordered, causing Jay to cringe.

"You, boy! Keep away from my daughter you hear me?!" Johhn hollered at Katsu.

Katsu raised a brow as the man was shouting wildly at him for no apparent reason. Katsu sweat-dropped and glanced over at Jay who was on the verge of crying it seemed. Her father was about to say something else when her mother got in front of him.

"Oh my, yoohoo! Over here!" She called, hoping Katsu would come to the screen.

Jay wildly shook her head, hoping he wouldn't, too late, he was already there before he was beckoned.

"Jay? Are...are these your parents?" Katsu inquired, knowing they were but was almost hoping he was wrong.

Jay simply nodded and looked down sheepishly, shuffling her feet and trying not to let him see the blush now creeping onto her features. Emma looked Katsu up and down, her eyes trailing over his form to notice that he had a pretty good physique, was easy on the eyes, and had that overall pretty boy look. This pleased her greatly it seemed.

"Oh you are quite the looker! Yes, so much better than that one teenager we paid to be friends with Jay...though...he did come back, and returned the money. Maybe I shouldn't have cursed his teeth to rot."

"MOM!" Jay shouted, blushing profusely at her statements.

"Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

"Yes! Why'd you tell him that?! It's embarrassing!" Jay yelled, her face turning fire engine red at this point.

"Well, it's true! He's gorgeous! You should be proud of yourself Jay!" Her mother giggled.

"Not. Helping!" Jay shouted back.

"Do I get a say in this?" Johnn growled, stepping in front of his wife to glare at Katsu.

"Boy, are you planning to have sex with my daughter?"

"DAD!" Jay yelled, her face still flushed red at this point. Steam almost came out of her ears at this point.

"It's a legitimate question! I don't want him taking advantage of my little girl!"

Jay's father glanced at Katsu in deep concentration. Sweat began to trickle down his visage for whatever reason. Emma placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and broke his concentration.

"Dear...they're on the phone. You can't read minds over the phone..."

"Fine...but mark my words boy, I can make you believe you are a Magikarp suffocating on land if I find out that you did anything to my daughter!"

"Dad, he's not like that, Katsu's really nice!" Jay shouted, breathing heavily after her short outburst.

"So his name's Katsu? That's got a nice ring to it. Wait...where have I heard that name before?" Emma inquired.

"There was an actor with his name in the newest production of Pokestar Studios, Riolu Boy. I believe the boy's name was Katsu Aiko...it said so in the credits."

"Yes, that was a wonderful production! I'd like to meet the boy, maybe introduce him to Jay."

"Errm...mom...you're already talking to him..."

Jay clasped her hands to her mouth as she realized she'd just done something stupid. Her mother raved about that movie and even her Dad had to admit it was good.

"Wait..." Her mother said, invisioning Katsu in the Riolu Boy costume. Two images appeared in her mind. One was Riolu Boy, the other was Katsu. The images slid together and perfectly matched up. Her eyes widened, as did her husband's.

"YOU ARE HIM!" She shouted excitedly.

Katsu palmed his face and shook his head. He still had to get used to the recognition he was getting.

"I'm sorry Katsu! It slipped!" Jay apologized, bowing repeatedly and saying sorry over her mother's rambling.

"Can everyone just calm down?!" Katsu shouted, causing everyone to go silent.

"Thank you..." He sighed in relief.

"Now, Jay...don't worry about it. I'm not offended, I'm just still getting used to recognition. I'm kind of flattered by all of this, really. But I'm really not all that special, I'm just some guy on his Pokemon journey trying to make friends and have fun."

"And he's modest too, good work Jay." Emma winked.

Jay blushed softly and glanced back at Katsu who smiled back. Even in this embarrassing situation, Katsu was still nice. He may have shouted once, but he didnt' seem angry. How could he be so calm? It just didn't make sense to her at all. What was the deal? Why was he so...so...wonderful? Wait...what? Was she really...no, not this early. Or maybe she really was starting to crush on him.

"Ahem..." Came her father's voice as he turned to Katsu, a determined look fixated on his features.

"Katsu, am I to understand that you are different than other twisted minded perverts out there out to get my daughter?" Johnn asked.

Katsu raised a brow at this question. Talk about an overprotective father. He simply sighed and then smiled.

"I'm not a twisted minded perv...and I'm not out to get your daughter. We're just traveling together and having a good time. I enjoy her company. She's been refreshing to be around. She even made me some Castelia Cones yesterday after my gym battle. She's got a good heart..."

"Katsu..." Jay blushed, looking down for a while before glancing back at the screen.

"I've had a lot on my mind during this trip, and your daughter had helped me take my mind off of it. You needn't worry about her. She's got three great friends with her."

"Wait...you've seen them?" Emma inquired.

Katsu smiled softly, his eyes starting to glow a brighter shade than they already were. He glanced over at the hidden forms of Dusk and Gen, a smirk crossing his features.

"Yep...they're right beside Jay now."

"Jay? Is he psychic?" Her father asked curiously.

"N-n-no...he's...Aura Adept."

Emma gaped a little at this. Her father also blinked in surprise. Jay blushed again. Katsu laughed softly and shook his head.

"I know, I had the same reaction when I was able to talk to my partner Riolu. It was so weird at first. It's getting better though." Katsu laughed.

"Good looking, modest and Aura Adept...Jay, you've scored big here." Emma winked.

"I see, well, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders Katsu. I will allow you to continue to travel with Jay. But so help me...if I find that you've defiled her I will make you explode like an electrode!"

"Trust me sir, you won't have to worry about that with me..." Katsu said with a stoic gaze.

Her father could see that he was serious. His gaze at that point was indeed stern and focused. He could tell that this boy would be able to help protect his daughter. Though he always tried to keep her from just about every boy she met until she was older, this one seemed to be exceptionally better than the rest. He didn't seem proud, or arrogant. He was certain Emma noticed as well.

"Well dear, I need to get going to work. I have a meeting to run and it's going to be a long one."

"Alright Emma. I'd best be on my way too, I have a bunch of paperwork to fill out. Jay, stay safe...Katsu...keep those hands where they can be seen..." Her father grumbled before the screen winked out.

"That...was mortifying..." Jay said with a trembling voice.

"At least they seemed to like me...I guess?"

"They always do this...mom tries to set me up with every boy she meets and Dad is always pushing them away..." Jay grumbled.

Gen and Dusk sweat-dropped at this. Their missions were identical to their masters. Jay, luckily, didn't know about it.

"Well...that sounds very difficult to deal with...then again...my mother is almost the same way. I have a feeling if the two met they would be finishing each other's sentences..."

"You're probably right..." Jay giggled.

"So...shall we get going to the next city? I'm eager for my next adventure."

"Aren't we already on one?" Jay asked.

"I treat each day as an adventure...this way I can have multiple adventures at once," Katsu smiled.

"I see, I like that line of thinking...very much..." Jay smiled.

"Oh and Katsu?"

"Yeah Jay?"

"Thank you...it meant a lot to me what you said back there..." Jay stated, stepping up and leaning against him with a smile, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.

Katsu smiled softly and hugged her back, chuckling softly as he looked down at her.

"You're welcome Jay...and it was all true, you really are a breath of fresh air..." Katsu said softly.

 _'Here it comes...'_

 _'It's probably too early Gen...'_

 _'Let me dream Dusk...'_

Jay pulled away for a moment and simply looked up at him. He made her feel more alive than anyone else had. She was glad he was her friend. She didn't know what was going on at the moment. All she knew, was that he was someone she really liked. She hoped he felt the same.

Stepping back, Jay blushed a little and shuffled her feet.

"Well...shall we?" Jay asked.

"Of course...we'd better get a move on so we can make it there by sundown. In do plan to train along the way so I'll need plenty of time for that.

"O-of course. It's always good to keep practicing."

"You're absolutely right...well, let's get moving."

Jay smiled back at Katsu and the two walked towards the doors.

"Be safe you two!" The nurse called out, causing them both to turn around.

"Don't worry, we will," Katsu replied.

Jay turned towards the door. Katsu was just leaning in that direction when he caught a wink from the nurse who had been at the scene of the catastrophe in the kitchen the day before. Katsu flushed a little at this and simply waved good bye to her and the two exited the Pokemon Center.

 **And that's a wrap! I don't know about any of you, but it takes a strong will to be caught up in a fiasco like that. Thanks again to PG-13 for giving me some details on her parents as well as providing me with a comical idea. I enjoyed this scene and I hope you all did too. It was so much fun to write! So now, they're off to Nimbasa City! But before that, where will they stop next? Only tme will tell! Find out in the next exciting installment of Icy Wrath!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again faithful viewers! I do hope you are all enjoying this fic of mine. This week is going to be focused more on this one until I am able to finish my outlines for The Flames of Revolution. Once that's done, after my usual hiatus, Chapters for The Flames of Revolution and Icy Wrath will come out simultaneously. In the meantime, I am really into this new one. I'm kinda drawn into it quite a bit. Anyway, don't worry, there will be more to come on the other fic. I'm just giving it a break for a while to work on this one. Anyway, how did you like the previous chapter? Wasn't it hilarious? I thought so anyway. So, with that, let's get to it shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 13: Dilemmas**

 _'This doesn't make any sense...'_ Colress thought as he sat in Castelia Plaza, simply minding his own.

 _'I've run countless data tests and have searched, and searched...but I'm coming up empty...what am I missing?'_ Colress sighed and looked down at his tablet.

He'd been constructing data on how one could bring out more of the power of their Pokemon. But there were too many theories to explore. Was it through love and trust? Was it by evolution? Companionship? Strength? Courage? Or was it by sheer force? His mind was confused. This was almost harder than pondering the secrets of the universe.

 _'There simply HAS to be a way...but what IS that way?'_ Colress thought as he watched people pass him by.

The very weight of his research was a heavy burden to bare. His golden optics scanned the people that passed him by. As he did this, he could see countless children and adults alike with their Pokemon. His eyes darted over to another part of the plaza where a battle was taking place. Deciding to take this opportunity to do some field testing of his theories, he watched from a distance as the two trainers engaged each other.

Every move each trainer made he analyzed. Both trainers seemed rather skilled, and it looked as though they had both just gotten the Insect Badge and were testing each other. One trainer had a Sandile, the other a Scraggy. The match unfolded with the Scraggy leading off with a jump kick.

Sandile dove underground to avoid it. Colress began typing in what he saw, and also started recording the battle for his own purposes. He wanted to get as much as he could for the research he was doing. This was a huge project and he didn't feel as though he had enough time to complete it.

Every move that each trainer made was recorded. The outcomes, the effects of said outcomes, and the different battle style of each one. Yes, all the variables were there, but something seemed to be missing. Sure, both trainers were good, but they seemed to be lacking something. What was it? The very concept of this was giving him a bit of a headache. What he wouldn't do for some relief.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay came out of the Cafe Sonata after getting some breakfast. They were satisfied and were now moving towards the busy section of the city. Before that, they stopped at the mart which was inside the Pokemon Center, to grab some potions. Everyone was heading to work at this hour. Katsu and Jay stayed close so as not to get lost in the crowd. There were over 1000 people within the city limits. With that high of a population, it was no surprise anyone got lost.

"So...about earlier...Katsu...are you sure you're not mad about that?"

Katsu raised a brow at her inquiry. He chuckled softly at her question and shook her head.

"No, why should I be?"

"Really? You're not even the tiniest bit mad?"

"Nope..."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

Jay raised a brow at this. Figuring him out was so difficult. She still couldn't understand him. That entire ordeal with her parents would be enough for any normal boy to run away. Her father embarrassed her completely and her mother made it worse. Also, she blabbed about him being in a movie which REALLY got things going. And yet, through _all_ of that, he remained calm. She wouldn't have been surprised if he wanted nothing to do with her after that. But that didn't happen.

Here she was, still traveling beside him like _nothing_ happened. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about what her father had said. Instead he just stared back at him with confidence. He also managed to ease her father's opinion of him on top of that! And let's not get started on her mother. She grumbled cutely to herself as she walked along with him. What happened earlier absolutely flabbergasted her.

 _'It's strange Rif...'_

 _'What do you mean?'_

 _'In all the years of my life...albeit not a very long one, I've never dealt with anything like this. All I've ever known was rejection...'_

 _'I know Jay...I've been with you ever since I was a Drifloon. I saw how other kids treated you. I was there with you through it all. And I think I know where you're going with this...'_

 _'You do?'_

 _'Yes...you're puzzled by Katsu. That much is obvious. He's kind, gentle, and has a warm spirit about him. Much like you. He's forgiving, trustworthy and strong. He accepts you for you in spite of what you do. You're not used to it so it confuses you. You're used to being repelled, ridiculed and made fun of. And then along came Katsu...who doesn't do any of that...'_

 _'Rif is right Jay. Katsu's the kind of guy who will stick his neck out for you. He's basically not your typical run of the mill guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he would give his life to save another...'_

 _'That...was strangely profound Gen.'_

 _'Hey! I can be serious sometimes too Dusk!'_

 _'I know, it's just...that was surprising, that's all. In any case, just like Gen said, Rif is right. He's a very different boy from the others we've encountered. And I'm not talking about him being able to use Aura. That much is apparent.'_

 _'I see...you're right. He is different...and...I-I find myself wanting to know more about him. More about...what makes Katsu...Katsu...you know?'_ Jay blushed.

 _'Pssst, Dusk...what do you think their ship name should be? I've come up with KatJay, Jatsu, Jaytsu, and JayKat...which do you think would be better?'_

 _'Gen...is this what you do with your time when you should be helping us help Jay?'_

 _'Uhhhh...noooo?'_

 _'Fair enough...JayKat...the others just seem odd...'_

Katsu raised a brow at the silence. She was probably talking to her Pokemon, which he didn't mind. Rufflet rode his right shoulder while Riolu took the left. A sigh escaped his lips as he walked ahead. His mind was still thinking back to the incident earlier. Jay's parents reminded him a little of his own. Her mother was almost mirror image of his own. Her dad seemed a bit overbearing...okay maybe _a lot._

 _'Something on your mind Katsu?'_ Riolu inquired curiously.

 _'Yeah...it's about Jay...I like her and all...but something is bugging me...'_

 _'What's up? Maybe I can help.'_

 _'Well...I honestly don't know much about her. About all I know is that she's psychic, awkward at times, very apologetic...okay...overly...and really shy, oh and she likes stamps. I did learn she was also a hopeless romantic. But that's about all I know...'_

 _'I see...well, there is more to her than that...'_

 _'Huh? Like what?'_

 _'Well, just look at her Katsu...'_

Katsu took a moment to look down at his side. She had her headphones on now and was listening to music. It was at that moment he could see something different. The way she walked was different now. She wasn't sluggish. She seemed to have a little bit of a spring in her step. Maybe it was due to the music she was listening to?

 _'She seems happier doesn't she? You do know it's because of you right?'_

 _'You're right Riolu...she does...but what's that got to do with me?_

 _'Think real hard father...'_ Katsu blinked as he heard a new voice enter his mind.

 _'Surprised? Riolu told me about it so I decided to give it a go...anyway...do you remember anything from the last few days?'_

 _'Well...yeah, I do Rufflet...but...all I was doing was just...being me...'_

 _'That's exactly it. From what I've noticed father is that you have a gentle spirit about you. I noticed that from the day you hatched me. You care for others more than yourself. You put them first. And because of you being your normal self, and accepting her even though she is a bit...strange...but in a good way...you have effectively made her as happy as she is right now.'_

Katsu hadn't thought of it that way before. Had he really impacted her that much in a short amount of time. All he did was return the kindness she'd shown him by making the cones for him. It's what friends were supposed to do, right? Right. But this seemed like something else. He still couldn't put his finger on it. He was good at solving a lot of things. Except math equations...he detested that subject in its entirety. It's only redeeming aspect was geometry which helped him with angles in swordsmanship.

He sighed and glanced over at Jay, a faint smile resting on his features. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked his way and blushed a little, smiling in return as she walked alongside him.

 _'I give them a few days before they figure it out...'_

 _'I give them about a month...'_

 _'That long Dusk?'_

 _'What? It's Jay we're talking about...when she has crushes...it takes her forever to work up the courage to say anything...remember the Rattata spirit incident?'_

 _'Oh yeah! That was funny...for me anyway...'_

 _'You never change do you Gen?'_

 _'Nope...and not gonna either.'_

 _'So...what do we do Dusk? Do we inform our clueless wonderboy?'_

 _'No...let Jay sort her feelings out on her own...when the time is right she'll know what to do. Let's see how this plays out...'_

 _'Hmmm...tell Katsu and have him mull it over...or let Jay stammer her feelings for him in her usual sputtering...option one is tempting but option two has me sold...'_

 _'For once you two agree...'_

 _'What's that supposed to mean Rif?'_

 _'Nothing...it's just funny, that's all.'_

 **X-X-X**

 _'Well...that battle ended rather quickly. However...I still didn't see what I was looking for here. Maybe I'll just have to study this tape more before finding anything at all. This is so confusing...'_

Colress sighed as both trainers left. He stared at the screen of his tablet and looked at the data he'd gathered. All of it seemed sufficient, but it somehow felt...empty. As though something were missing. He had so many formulas he could write to solve the dilemma but none of them seemed to work. What was he missing?

It was then that he saw Katsu and Jay walking out of the station and into the plaza. His mind flashed back to the battle that Katsu was having with several wild Pokemon along with Team Plasma at the same time. The image of Liepard moving expertly through each attack fired her way only to incapacitate her foes instantaneously ran through his thoughts. She was a powerful specimen. He also could have sworn he saw Katsu use Vacuum Wave like a Pokemon.

Maybe he would find the answer in Katsu. Yes, this boy might have the answer he was looking for! Not wanting to miss his chance, Colress stood up and made his way towards the approaching duo.

"Well, if it isn't the boy from the sewers. Good to see you again! I must say I was thoroughly impressed with how you battled back there. So impressed that I couldn't help but try to figure out why it is your Pokemon seemed as strong as they were. Might I...see your Liepard? I hope this isn't too much trouble."

Katsu raised a brow at the man. Judging by his coat he seemed to be a scientist of some sort. Katsu had a mild interest in that field of study. He didn't see too much of a problem with it.

"Sure...one sec..." Katsu said as he released Liepard from her ball.

As soon as Liepard appeared, Colress's eyes widened. Right out of the ball she stood erect. Her head was held high and she carried herself with pride by the looks of it.

"Remarkable...simply remarkable..." Colress stated as he began to type quickly on his tablet.

"Umm...what are you doing?" Katsu asked curiously. He didn't even bother with the fact that Jay was hiding behind him... _again._ He was used to it by now, he couldn't help but chuckle as he felt the familiar feeling of her burying her face in his bag before peeking out from behind him.

"Oh! Forgive me, I'm so rude. Where are my manners? My name is Colress. You see...I'm a scientist and I'm researching how trainers bring out the power of their Pokemon. I couldn't help but notice how confident your Liepard is. And how dignified she seems. It's a lot better than most of what her species can muster. She seems well taken care of."

"Thank you...I do my best. The name's Katsu, by the way."

"I recognize you now...I knew you before the sewers and you can probably already guess how," Colress stated, nodding to Riolu.

"Ah...that...yeah, I can't exactly hide can I?" Katsu laughed.

"Indeed. But that film aside, I have a request I'd like to ask of you. Battle me up ahead on the route to Nimbasa City. I have a theory I want to test out about bringing out the power of Pokemon. Do you find this acceptable Katsu?"

Katsu thought about it for a moment. He didn't really know who Colress was entirely or if his intentions were harmless. It wasn't everyday that he got asked to battle out of the blue. Jay stuck her head around to see what was going on, still gripping the sides of his backpack as the two conversed.

"Your friend...is she always this shy?" Colress inquired.

"Pretty much...but I don't mind it."

"I see...so, what do you say Katsu?"

"I think I just might take you up on that...you said towards the end of this route right?"

"Right...I'll be waiting for you, Katsu..." Colress stated. And with that, he walked off down the route, leaving Katsu and Jay standing there until he disappeared down the path.

"That was strange."

"Y-yeah...sorry about this...I'm just...not good with people..."

"It's fine, I'm not bothered. You seem fine with me though..."

"Th-th-that's because you're different!" She said hastily.

"Thanks...that means a lot actually."

"R-really?"

"Yeah, now, shall we go? I don't think I want to keep him waiting. Scientists are busy people...I ought to know...my dad works with them."

"I-I see...well, I suppose we ought to then..."

Several trainers along the way battled with Katsu and each time he came out on top. Jay simply watched his battles, each time she was amazed at the combinations he would come up with. Even in close calls, he still managed to pull through with a victory. Katsu and Jay paused for a little bit to catch a break. Katsu went through at least five battles and had a few more potions left to give his tired out companions. He even had a batch of Pokemon Food for them that he'd whipped up.

He got out the bowls from his bag and poured some into each bowl, letting his Pokemon feast after they'd helped him through a lot more battles. Everyone learned a few new tricks, which he was happy about. He smiled softly as he watched everyone eating. He blinked slightly as he saw Jay sitting on the ground near her Pokemon just listening to music. The other three looked like they were a little hungry. Regardless of them being ghosts, they could still eat if they wanted too.

Katsu smirked to himself as he got out three more bowls and then slid them over to the three ghosts. They all looked at him in surprise. Katsu simply nodded, letting them know it was okay. Thankful for it, they dove in. Their eyes widened as they each took their first bite. In unison they all dove back into the food, wanting more. Jay blinked when she saw this. Okay, this wasn't fair. First he was nice to her, then her parents and now he was feeding her Pokemon? There wasn't anyone keeping score, but if there had been she wouldn't be able to keep up with that.

After everyone had eaten, he picked up the bowls and slid the inside each other and then placed them in the bag.

 _'So uh...Katsu...got anymore of that stuff?'_

 _'Errr...you guys ate the last of it Gen.'_

 _'I see, uh...will you be getting more?'_

 _'Possibly. It takes a while for me to make...'_

 _'You made that?!'_

 _'Yep...like it?'_

 _'That doesn't begin to cover it...'_

"Katsu?" Jay interrupted, standing next to him with a nervous look.

"What's up Jay?"

"Errm...thank you, for feeding them. I know they don't often eat because they really don't have to but, sometimes they like to. I-I think they noticed your Pokemon eating and wanted some...I think?"

Gen, Dusk and Rif all nodded, which made Jay giggle a little. She then turned back to Katsu with a smile.

"So yeah...thank you..." She beamed.

"You're welcome, now...we're almost to the end of the road I think. Colress should be waiting there...I'm actually interested to battle him now..."

 **X-X-X**

 _'This may be what I'm looking for. The data I've gathered from other Liepard is completely different than this one. Her fur seems more vibrant. Her features are more pronounced. Her legs seem several times stronger than others of her species...how is this even possible after just three badges? It makes no sense...'_

Colress sighed softly, turning and pacing back and forth as he spotted a wall of Crustle blocking the path. They all seemed to be out of energy and unable to move. It was a rather strange sight indeed. He simply shook his head and shrugged, turning around to see Katsu and Jay headed his way. A faint smile rested upon his features as he watched Katsu approach.

"I've been waiting for you Katsu..."

Katsu nodded, his eyes shifting towards what was behind Colress. He blinked, Jay did too as they saw a bunch of what appeared to be rocks behind Colress. However, due to both of them being able to see beyond what others were capable of, they could easily deduce that those were Pokemon.

"So...what's with them?" Katsu inquired.

"Ah...interested? Those are Crustle. They seem to be out of energy at the moment. But I think I have just what they might need. Now...let's see...ah yes. This little device emits electrical pulses of energy that are designed to jumpstart a Pokemon's systems. Just one little push of button and..."

Colress tapped the button on the device, and suddenly pulses of energy shot towards the wall of Crustle causing them to rise from their exhausted, immediately invigorated. They all stared around blankly before getting up to leave.

"Huh. It seems they really were out of energy. That was just a guess on my part. Anyway, it seems that I'm facing a difficult crossroads in my research. It's difficult when two sides are clashing and you cannot tell who is right. Team Plasma, as you know them, teaches everyone that the potential lies within the Pokemon alone and that they must be 'liberated' from humans in order for them to reach their full potential. Rubbish! What those in Team Plasma do not understand is that in order for a Pokemon to reach it's full potential, it must be trained under a human! Only then can it realize what it is truly able to do. I am here to test that theory, and it all begins with a battle with you, Katsu Aiko. Now show me...show me that you are a trainer who has the capability of bringing out that power. Magneton, I summon you!"

Magneton burst onto the field and spun its magnets around before staring at Katsu. The Steel/Electric-type sparked with anticipation, ready for the battle to begin. The only question was, who would its opponent be?

Katsu stood across from Colress with a stoic gaze fixated on his features. He was trying to read Colress at this point. The man seemed rather serious and adamant about the whole thing. Katsu couldn't exactly tell everything he was after or if there was some hidden motive, but he knew one thing. He agreed with him. He looked over at his Pokemon and then nodded back to Colress.

 _'You got this one Riolu?'_

 _'Yep...it's a Steel/Electric-type...it's weak against me.'_

Riolu hopped off of Katsu's shoulder and landed on the ground before Magneton.

"So...the Riolu first? Excellent. Magneton, Thunderbolt!"

 _'Vacuum Wave...'_

Magneton channeled electrical currents along its surfce, causing the magnets on its body to spin wildly before aiming at Riolu. A powerful blast of electrical energy erupted from the magnets, slashing through the air towards Riolu. The bipedal canine jumped high, whirling his arms in the process before twisting and firing a Vacuum Wave which ripped through the air. The resulting impact pushed Magneton back into the ground, causing it to struggle to get up.

 _That Vacuum Wave had incredible force behind it. Magneton is already damaged significantly. I want to see more!'_

"Use Flash Cannon!"

 _'Quick Attack and Force Palm!'_

Magneton began to glow bright white. A ball of energy was being gathered into the center of the Pokemon and soon he fired a powerful beam of steel powered energy towards Riolu. Reacting swiftly, Riolu darted along the ground and used Quick Attack to launch itself away from the blast and towards Magneton. Using the gained acceleration, Riolu shot his glowing palm forwards and slammed it into Magneton, bringing the hunk of steel down to the ground under Riolu's paw. The shockwave kicked in right as Riolu pinned Magneton. Riolu lifted his paw off of the collapsed Magneton and turned to face Colress. Magneton wasn't able to continue of course.

 _'Even though he was under fire...Riolu managed to make such a difficult maneuver and at such incredible speeds. The potential he boasts is astonishing...I must admit I don't think I have much of a chance now that I'm down to one more Pokemon. Still, for the sake of research, I must go on! I must see more!'_

"Klang!, I beckon you!"

Another Steel-type, this one being pure Steel-type, appeared on the field in the form of rotating cogs. Katsu decided he would keep Riolu in the fight since he had the upper-hand when it came to type advantage.

"Mirror Shot!"

 _'Vacuum Wave...'_

Klang's gears began to grind together, producing sparks from the steel. Suddenly, multiple bursts of white light erupted from its gears, all concentrating into a single point aimed at Riolu. Riolu fired a hasty Vacuum Wave to dispel it, creating a cloud of dust that was incredibly hard to see through.

 _'Impressive...Riolu can use Vacuum Wave with such speed and precision...this one is definitely a cut above the rest too...his skill is amazing...I think I'm beginning to see it. It's a faint light...but maybe...maybe this will begin to point me in the right direction.'_

 _'Feel him out...then use Sky Uppercut, then use Force Palm!'_

Riolu closed his eyes to keep the sand out of them. Dust would only cloud his ability to see and he couldn't afford to have impaired judgement in this moment.

"Thundershock!"

There it was, the giveaway to where his adversary was. Riolu felt where the assault was coming from and spun to evade it and lunged in the direction of where it came from. He planted his feet after finding the cogs with his aura sight and dealt a powerful uppercut to the gears, sending the Steel-type flying. Riolu launched himself into the air, now being able to see and twisted his body to the side, coming around as his paw glowed mid-twist. He slammed his paw into Klang, the initial force paralyzing it and the shockwave resulting sending it plummeting to the ground. It crashed into the ground with a heavy THUD! A crater was left on that part of the route and when the dust cleared, Klang was out cold.

A red beam of light absorbed Klang back into its Pokeball. Colress smiled softly as he returned his companion.

"I think I am beginning to see, ever so slightly...your battle here has given me much to work with. However, I'm still not satisfied. I did learn that you have a lot in common with the Gym Leaders...as well as the Champion. You raise your Pokemon by being kind to them, and your bond connects you. But is that really all there is to it? I'm almost inclined to think that it's as simple as that...but I cannot be too sure. I must investigate this further...thank you for assisting me Katsu. I do hope we meet again..."

"I do too...that was a fun battle Colress. Good luck in your research. And let me know if you ever find the answer you are looking for..." Katsu said with a faint smile.

"I have a feeling that as long as there are trainers around and new theories to explore, I will eventually come across the answer. Right now? I am starting here with what you have shown me. It's all so frustrating...if only we could talk to Pokemon to understand how to do this. But no human is capable of doing that...unless they are superhuman. In any case, thank you...Katsu, may we meet again..." Colress stated, turning to head back down the route towards Castelia City.

"Great job Katsu..." Jay said with a faint smile.

"Thanks Jay...it looks like the battles that Riolu and I fought together are paying off little by little. He's getting stronger with each passing day..."

"I see that, I think it's cute, having a Pokemon that's adorable yet powerful...it suits you Katsu..." Jay said with a blush.

"Suits me? I don't follow..."

"N-n-nothing! I said nothing! Anyway, Nimbasa City right? We'd better get going so we can get there before the sun sets. I'm sure you want to challenge the gym first thing right?" Jay said nervously.

"Right! I almost forgot...thanks for reminding me about the time. Let's get going."

Katsu and Jay darted off towards Nimbasa City after the match with Colress. It was getting rather late. It was around four in the afternoon, but they didn't have much longer to go. Perhaps he'd be able to get in a gym battle before he went to bed. That would certainly be something. He'd have to work up a strategy before facing the leader. But he'd get to that when the time came.

 **And that ends this installment. Colress is getting closer to solving a mystery he's been chasing as long as he could remember. How does one bring out the power of one's Pokemon? Also, how will Katsu fare against Elesa? I'm sure all of us remember her annoying combo. I know I did! And I hated it! It's coming, just as a heads up in the next chapter. Thank goodness I ended up getting a ground type to ward it off. xD Anywho, I hope you all liked this chapter! Stand by for the next one...or get some sleep if it's late like it is here! I'm hittin' the sack but I'll see you all in the morning my time! Find out what happens next time on Icy Wrath!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Good morning everyone! How goes it? All is well on this end. I'm up early once again to get a jump on things. So yeah, last chapter had a tiny bug in it but that's all fixed. Now, how was it? I did my best to portray Colress my own way while still keeping it as close to the game as possible. Now it's time for, you guessed it...Elesa! She's probably my favorite leader in the series. Especially in the Black and White game before it, mainly due to the scene where she helps Bianca. Also...am I the only one that thinks that her and Valerie could be related? -Looks at their faces and the fact that they are models, (Valerie being a former one) and their clothes are rather eccentric. She's wearing a cross between a Zebstrika an Emolga in one version and a Minun and Plusle combo in the other. Valerie looks like an Audino.- You know...-taps chin- I'm inclined to think this might be a theory already. Anyway, that aside, let's get going shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 14: Katsu's Faux Pas**

Katsu and Jay arrived in Nimbasa City a little bit later than expected. Unfortunately, Katsu wasn't able to battle the leader right away. They found themselves sitting in the Pokemon Center wondering what they should do. Katsu waited for his Pokeballs and simply sat there, glancing around at the center. Apparently, Nimbasa City was an extremely fun place to visit. His eyes shifted over to a poster on the far wall. It had a picture of a rather beautiful woman wearing an expertly designed yellow and black outfit. Her hair was also long and black, extending downwards past her hips in two long antenna-like strands. The poster mentioned something about a fashion show put on by Elesa, the city's Gym Leader.

"Katsu? Is everything okay?"

"Eh? Yeah...just, kinda bored..."

"I see..." Jay thought, her eyes catching sight of what he was looking at.

Her eyes sparkled a little as she saw Elesa. She was just so beautiful and loved by everyone it seemed. It made her slightly envious of the star model. She also knew she was the Gym Leader. Jay thought about it for a second and then turned back to Katsu, a faint smile resting on her features.

"Why don't we go see the show?"

"Huh?"

"Elesa's show silly. It starts in about an hour, so why not?"

"I guess. It sure beats sitting here wondering what to do, thanks Jay," Katsu smiled warmly.

There was that smile she liked. Every time he did that she couldn't help but smile in return. Her words were almost always caught in her throat when she looked at him after that. Her heart throbbed, her palms got sweaty sometimes. She was always nervous around boys. Especially ones she was starting to like or already did.

"Y-y-you're welcome. So...what do you want to do in the meantime?"

"I don't know...perhaps go for a walk? I want to see this city at night, I heard it looks awesome."

"Agreed, let's do that then..." Jay smiled.

"Katsu? Your Pokemon are ready," the nurse said as she walked over to him with the tray.

"Thanks," Katsu smiled, taking his Pokemon and releasing them all so they could walk with him.

The nurse blinked as she saw this. Most trainers just put them back on their belt until they needed them later. She watched as Rufflet flew onto his shoulder and how Riolu jumped onto his left. Each of them looked incredibly healthy. The Liepard was just gorgeous. And she wouldn't even get started on how envious most trainers would be of the shiny Rufflet. And the Darumaka was dancing around happily. A soft giggle escaped her lips, causing Katsu to raise a brow.

"I apologise for staring, it's just that, you seem to have quite a bond with your Pokemon."

"Aye, that I do. I consider them my friends and that's how it will always be," Katsu smiled, scratching Rufflet's feathers lightly before turning to the nurse once more.

"I see, you're quite an interesting trainer Katsu. You remind me of someone..." She smiled, remembering a young boy and his Pikachu walking through those same doors.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine Katsu, it's nothing," the nurse giggled.

"Alright, if you're sure. Well, we're heading out now. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem, take care you two!"

Katsu and Jay nodded as they left the Pokemon Center. The nurse still had that faraway look in her eyes. She watched Katsu and Jay disappear through the doors and smiled to herself.

 _'I wonder what that kid's up to now...'_ She thought with a soft smile.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay were heading towards the street that was said to lead to the fashion show when they saw something rather peculiar. There was a boy standing outside what looked to be a train station of sorts. He had on a blue zip-up jacket with a light blue shirt beneath it. He wore tan shorts with drawstrings. He wore black under-armor leggings that stopped at the ankles and red and black shoes. He had a bag around his shoulder and wore a visor which kept his messy brown hair out of his brow eyes. He had a rather determined look on his face. What was he doing?

His eyes shifted over to the approaching duo and he blinked. Was that who he thought it was? He looked directly at Katsu and imagined him in a Riolu Boy costume. It clicked. It was! A grin crossed his features as he saw him and Jay approach. He'd seen the movie and was hooked on it. He swore he saw it at least a dozen times or so and still couldn't get over the effects used.

"Hey! Over here!" The boy called, getting Katsu and Jay's attention.

Katsu blinked as he saw the boy waving him over. What could he want? It seemed like this was happening quite a bit lately. People seemed to want to talk to him. He was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea to star in the movie after all. He'd already gotten an email from Alice saying that there was going to be a continuation of Project Riolu Boy and it was going to be a huge production. At the moment they were still script writing so he didn't need to worry about coming back yet. That was how it went, once making one movie and a sequal comes out...you had to go back.

"Hey, what's up?" Katsu inquired.

"You're the guy who played Riolu Boy aren't you?" The boy asked.

"Errr...yeah, I am..." Katsu stated, scratching his head nervously.

Jay moved to hide behind Katsu the moment she saw the boy. She peeked out from behind him and looked at the boy. She could tell he was a trainer, that much was apparent. Rif simply floated by Jay's side, while Dusk and Gen sweat-dropped at her behaviour. Gen then chuckled to himself as he looked over at Liepard. She blinked and turned to meet his gaze, a curious look on her face.

 _'Something I can help you with?_

 _'Actually Liepard...there is...'_

 _'Involving?...'_

 _'Oh, I'm sure you know...'_ Gen stated, looking up at Jay who now had her headphones on and the music up. It was her defensive mechanism. Gen made eye motions between Katsu and Jay.

A devious grin crossed Liepard's features. Dusk tilted his head slightly as he listened to the conversation.

 _'Oi, blue boy. C'mere, you too birdie...'_

 _'What's up?'_ Riolu asked, sliding off of Katsu's shoulders while Rufflet flew away for a moment to converse. Darumaka even decided to see what was going on.

 _'Well...I was just thinkin' have you noticed how Katsu and Jay have been acting around each other, especially Jay?'_

Riolu thought about it for a moment. He remembered seeing Jay blush countless times around him and frantically fumble her words. Liepard snickered, remembering how even Katsu's cheeks tinted pink a little. And Rufflet distinctly remembered hearing his heart beat a little faster than normal. Darumaka, though he was the oddball of the group, also noticed a few things.

 _'See what I'm gettin' at here?'_ Gen grinned.

 _'Gen...what are you planning?'_

 _'Eh? Nothin' Dusk, just gonna...help these two along here...'_

 _'Gen, what did we talk about before?'_

 _'I know! But...come on, I mean look at her!'_ Gen protested, nodding back to Jay who was peeking out from behind Katsu. It was too adorable not to notice.

Dusk sighed and shook his head. Gen seemed to be adament about trying to fix those two up with each other. Dusk had to admit though, he did notice how Jay was acting around Katsu. She smiled more often. Laughed, and seemed generally more happy. Wait...was he actually considering helping too? He checked himself to make sure Gen wasn't playing mind games with him. No...these were his own thoughts.

 _'If you're going to do this...please make sure not to embarrass them...too much...I already know you will...'_

 _'Gen's eyes popped at this remark. Was Dusk allowing him to do his usual stuff?'_

 _'Okay...who are you and what have you done with Dusk?'_

 _'Nothing's wrong Rif...I just want to see Jay continue to be happy. You know it's been almost five years since she's actually smiled without having to force it...right?'_

 _'Yeah...I know...and I'm glad to see it.'_

 _'Me too...now, Gen...what's the plan?_

Gen gave his usual devious grin, rubbing his hands together as the ideas flooded in. Soon, they all gathered into a huddle with Gen giving them 'guidance.' Only chaos could result from something like this, especially when Gen was handing out the orders. Poor Jay.

"So, will you battle with me?"

"As in...battle you?"

"No, I mean with me. There are two really strong people standing up there and they're on what's called the Battle Subway! They're two of the bosses and I hear they're pretty tough," the boy said with a smirk.

"I see...by the way, you never introduced yourself..."

"Oh, yeah...sorry, the name's Nate. Nice to meet ya!"

"The pleasure is likewise Nate..."

"So uh...who's your friend?"

"This is Jay. We met back in Virbank about a week or so ago. We've been travelling ever since." Katsu smiled.

Jay offered a smile as well after peeking out and deciding to step out beside Katsu.

"H-hi...' She murmured cutely.

"Hey, what's up?" Nate grinned.

Jay looked down and shuffled her feet nervously. Nate looked back to Katsu and then to the two Subway Bosses. They were asked, by Nate, for a battle but Nate didn't have a partner yet. Now it appeared that he did.

"So, what do you say?"

"Well, I got time to kill...sure, why not?" Katsu smirked.

"Awesome! Hey, Ingo! Emmet! I have partner!"

Ingo had on a black conductor's uniform with gold stripes while Emmet had on a white conductors uniform with gold stripes. Each of them had one Pokemon on their belt and looked like serious contenders. They both looked at each other and stepped down from the platform of Gear Station.

"It'll be a bit different battling out here. I usually only battle in the Subway itself but this will allow me to see some scenery at least. Whatever the case may be, there must be a reason behind this meeting. Well then, Emmet! Have you anything to add?!

"Yes I do Ingo! Let's have a fun battle! Make sure to follow the rules, all aboard!

Katsu and Nate took their stance across from the duo. Jay simply stayed on the sidelines. Spectators were gathering now since battles with the Subway Bosses weren't seen too often. This was a rare treat.

"Well, shall we get started? Right now my partner and I only have one Pokemon so both of you will be using one each. Choose carefully!" Ingo stated.

Katsu thought about his decision for a moment and then looked over at Rufflet. Getting the idea, the shiny eaglet took off, spreading his wings beautifully as always. Nate looked up at the shiny Rufflet with a grin.

"Nice! A shiny Rufflet! I heard you had that, cool!" Nate said with a bright smile.

"Thanks...so, what are you gonna use?"

"Hmmm...Pansage!"

Nate threw his Pokemon out onto the field. Katsu blinked as it came up. The Pansage looked like it was a head of broccoli or something. It was obviously a grass type which made him wonder what the two Subway Bosses had.

"Gurdurr let's go!" Ingo called out.

"Boldore, you're on!"

Both Pokemon surged onto the field. Gurdurr carried a steel beam as his weapon of choice. He looked rather intimidating, as did Boldore. The four Pokemon stared one another down for a while, the tension in the air growing thick as the battle was about to begin. Katsu glanced over at Rufflet, a smirk dawning on his features as he decided to test something out.

"Boldore, use Power Gem on Rufflet!"

"Pansage, Seed Bomb to intercept!"

Boldore began to glow as several brightly glowing stones rose up around him from the ground beneath. They all circled around the moving rock before firing swiftly at Rufflet. Pansage gathered the power of nature in his body and reared his head back, opening his mouth to fire off a Seed Bomb which blew the rocks apart so they wouldn't harm Rufflet.

"Gurdurr, Rock Throw!"

"Use Tailwind and then Aerial Ace!"

As Gurdurr threw what could only be described as a boulder at Rufflet, the eaglet dove down under it and accelerated forwards after using a Tailwind to increase his speed. Not only did it increase Rufflet's speed, but Pansear's speed was accelerated as well. Rufflet drove itself into Gurdurr with massive force. Gurdurr staggered backwards and used his beam to support himself. He stood back up and glared at the soaring eaglet.

Jay blinked as she saw this. When did Rufflet learn that? At that moment, she remembered the battles they'd been in on along the way to the city. They had a few more after fighting Colress and Rufflet was used frequently.

"Pansage, use Seed Bomb!"

"Gurdurr, bat it away and use Low Sweep over and over!"

Pansage fired another volley from his mouth, however the beam Gurdurr had was swung and batted the seeds away, leaving Pansage open as Gurdurr swung the beam low. Pansage was batted away and stumbled backwards, rising slowly and wincing as he stood. Gurdurr continued charging and Pansage began dodging. Due to the speed increase, Pansage was quicker but he knew that Gurdurr was stronger.

"Help him out Rufflet, Wing Attack!"

"Boldore, Smack Down!"

Rufflet dove down towards Gurdurr, the Tailwind giving him the boost he needed as Boldore rose above him, somehow, and aimed to smack him into the ground. He barely slipped by Boldore, the attack only grazing his tail feathers but that was just enough to throw off his trajectory. Rufflet faltered in the air for a few moments before turning to glare at Boldore.

"Power Gem!"

"Dive under it and veer towards Gurdurr, use Aerial Ace!"

Boldore launched a powerful barrage of rocks towards Rufflet, who barely got under them in time. Rufflet dove towards Gurdurr who was busy with Pansage. The little green Pokemon hopped over another Low Sweep and turned to face Boldore.

"Leech Seed!"

Pansage opened up his mouth and fired off a Leech Seed, the attack connecting with Boldore who was now being drained of his energy. Boldore winced as his power was being sucked out of him. Pansage seemed to be getting healthier and that wasn't good for Boldore or Gurdurr.

"Gurdurr, Brick Break!"

Gurdurr rose his beam above his head and as he was about to swing it down, Rufflet drove into him and made a harsh connection with his wings, knocking Gurdurr back several feet.

"Pansage Seed Bomb on Boldore!"

Pansage once more called upon the powers of nature itself and fired off a Seed Bomb that blasted Boldore back. Normally that would have ended it for the Rock-type, but it stood strong, undeterred at this point. Its sturdy ability had kicked in, however... _thud._ Boldore fell over due to the Leech Seed still being in effect. Nate must have known this would happen, hence why the Leech Seed was in place.

Both Ingo and Emmet returned their Pokemon and grinned. Since Boldore ws knocked out, Gurdurr would have needed to face both Rufflet _and_ Pansage. That was something wouldn't be able to manage. Especially not in the condition he was in after taking two attacks from Rufflet.

"Well done you two! That was a splendid fight!"

"Agreed Ingo, that was magnificent! You two surely have a great bond with your Pokemon!"

Nate and Katsu grinned and nodded at each other knowingly. They seemed to make a pretty good team. They gave each other a high-five after the match.

"Your Rufflet was awesome!" Nate laughed.

"Your Pansage is great too. Thanks for the covering fire."

"You two did a great job..." Jay said meekly.

"Thanks Jay, I'm glad to hear you say that," Katsu smiled. Jay blushed again, looking over at Rif who hovered around her like usual.

Nate was not aware of Gen and Dusk who were watching him closely. Dusk remembered his mission in this moment and still kept it in the forefront of his mind. However...Nate seemed a little nice as well. Almost like Katsu...minus a few obvious things. He concluded that Nate was okay and simply observed the scene.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well...Jay and I are going to see Elesa. I want to battle her, but it looks like I'll have to wait until after the show..." Katsu sighed.

"Oh, yeah...she's tough! I battled her. I was put through the ringer and zapped into oblivion..." Nate said nervously, scratching his head slightly.

"I see...she's that rough huh?"

"Yeah...I need to train again and see if I can't work around her tactics. She's really strong. Well, anyway, good luck. I hope you win, I'm gonna go train for a while. See ya!" Nate beamed before running off.

"Err...yeah, bye!" Katsu shouted after him.

"He was nice..." Jay smiled.

"Yeah, I had fun battling alongside him. Perhaps we'll do it again one day."

"Probably...and I'm happy you had fun Katsu..." Jay giggled.

 **X-X-X**

The fashion show was crowded at the gym. Katsu hadn't been aware of this, but the gym had two places for entertainment. One was a battle field behind double doors, and the other was a runway. In essence, this gym was HUGE. There had to be at least a few hundred people in the audience. Cameras were everywhere and they were all focused on the models that were walking down the runway. It was already about fifteen minutes into the show at this point.

Each model walked down the runway, strutting their stuff as the posed at the end with their outfits on. Katsu simply watched the show, mildly interested in the events. All the while he kept a calm and faint smile on his features. Other boys in the audience were whistling at the models, showing the behaviour that Jay's father didn't approve of. Dusk took notice of his calm demeanor and smiled inwardly. The crowd began to cheer louder as Elesa sauntered across the stage.

The crowd really went nuts at this point. But could you blame them? She sported a headphone set that had two antennas sticking up from the sides. One had two red stripes with white in the center, the other blue with white. Her coat was somewhat puffy but the rest of her outfit was appealing to the eye, showing quite a bit of skin, which is what most of the boys in the audience were fired up about. Her shoes were mismatched as well, the left was blue while the right was red. It was as if she were dressed as a cross between a Minun and a Plusle.

Cameras flashed, and she continued to pose, letting them get every angle of her. Just then, someone took notice of Katsu who was standing right next to them. The girl's eyes widened as she tapped her friend on the shoulder. Suddenly several people's eyes were turned towards Katsu. Whispers shot around the crowd, though some were still glued to Elesa. This...was going to get ugly. Some of the cameramen who had been filming Elesa caught word of Katsu being in the audience and one of them deviated the camera from Elesa. That wasn't good.

What didn't help was that Riolu was out too.

 _'We've got trouble...'_

 _'Huh? What's up Riolu?'_

 _'Look...'_

Katsu glanced over to where Riolu was pointing. A few cameras were now on him and several people were now looking at him. Katsu suddenly came to the realization that this would look _very_ bad and decided to quickly withdraw. This didn't help as several of the crowd boxed him in. Great. Just great. Several questions were fired in his direction and it was becoming very distracting.

Some of the models were on stage and caught sight of what was going on. It seemed that Katsu was suddenly getting the attention. A frown fixated itself on Elesa's features as she saw this. She knew who Katsu was. She'd seen the movie and was somewhat of a fan. But...he was distracting her audience. Be it purposefully or not, she didn't like it. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance as she watched several interviewers try to get to him.

Katsu looked as though he wanted to pull a Jay and hide, but she was _already_ doing that. Elesa, though she didn't like this, stepped into the crowd in the middle of the show and marched through it, her models parting the crowd without a word.

"Alright, give the boy some room," Elesa said sternly.

At this, the people stopped and looked at Elesa. She was actually standing with them! Well, she was a hot topic too right? Could this get any better?

"Thank you. Now...you...why are you disrupting my show?"

"I'm not...I came here to see you...I wanted to challenge you but...well, you're busy now..."

"Not anymore I'm not. Things were going just fine until you came in and then things got all mucked up."

"Err...I'm sorry, I didn't intend for this to happen. It's not like I go around announcing who I am..." Katsu mumbled.

"You're a rude one aren't you?" One of the models growled.

"Yeah, show Elesa some respect!" The other snarled.

The crowd was definitely getting worked up over this. A smirk crossed Elesa's visage as an idea came to her mind.

"I've got an idea that can settle this. Why don't we have our match right now? If you win, we can forget this whole thing ever happened. And if you lose...you'll need to make this up to me," Elesa smirked.

"Those sound like fair terms...fine, I've been waiting to battle you anyway," Katsu grinned.

This was going to be something worth watching. Elesa was about to battle Katsu. The crowd seized the opportunity to pile into the gym.

 _'Normally...this wouldn't bother me...but I feel kinda bad. I didn't intend to mess up the show. Someone noticed me...heh...I guess this is what I get for deciding to help out Pokewood. Oh well...the damage has been done.'_

 _'Don't be so hard on yourself Katsu. You didn't mean it. Just do your best in this fight and don't have any regrets afterwards...'_

 _'Thanks Riolu...'_

 **X-X-X**

"This battle is between Nimbasa City Gym Leader; Elesa and the challenger; Katsu Aiko! This will be a four on four gym battle. Only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the opening move! Ready? Begin!" One of the models acting as referee shouted.

"Darumaka, let's go!"

"Joltik, it's your time to shine!"

Darumaka danced onto the field wildly, and then began rolling around with his arms and legs inside of him. Elesa blinked as she watched this odd display.

"Don't bother asking...this is just how Darumaka is..." Katsu muttered.

"I see...well, that won't matter too much..." Elesa smirked.

"Darumaka, Fire Punch!"

"Volt Switch!"

Darumaka pulled his arms and legs out of his body and ran towards Joltik. His right fist was glowing with heated energy and soon fire shot around his arm as he aimed a punch straight for Joltik. Considering it was part bug, the impact would do considerable damage. However, Joltik was prepared. As Darumaka got close it planted its feet and began charging electrical energies through its tiny frame. Suddenly, it shot out an electrical blast which slammed into Darumaka with heavy force. Darumaka hit the floor with a thud and got up slowly, shaking his head as he looked around.

He blinked when he noticed an Emolga now floating in place. Katsu wasn't liking this one bit. He'd never encountered a strategy like this one before. He took out his Pokedex and searched for the move Volt Switch. He knew Gym Leaders weren't allowed to swap out, but she'd found a loophole. As expected, Volt Switch automatically returned the Pokemon to their ball after usage.

"Aerial Ace..."

"Incinerate!"

Darumaka jumped up and down excitedly and yelled loudly as he opened his mouth.

 _'I'M A FIRING MAH LAZAH!'_

"Errr...what's up with Darumaka?" Elesa asked as he began charging the attack.

"Don't ask...it's his thing..." Katsu mumbled.

Darumaka fired a burst of flames towards Emolga who dodged it swiftly before ramming heavily into Darumaka. Emolga hovered over Darumaka as he struggled to get up.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Incinerate to intercept!"

Before Darumaka could even react, Emolga fired off a massive electrical attack which delivered a shock to his system, causing him to flop onto the ground in a heap. Steam rose off of his body and sparkes arced across his form. He was knocked out completely.

"Darumaka is unable to battle! Emolga is the winner!"

Katsu sighed softly and returned Darumaka to his ball.

"That's alright Darumaka...you did your best..." Katsu sighed.

 _'Let's see...Emolga is fast...so I'll need something that can keep up. Of course...Liepard...'_ Katsu thought as he picked up Liepard's ball and looked at it.

"Liepard! Let's go!" Katsu called out.

Liepard flashed out of her Pokeball and landed in a crouching position, her tail flickering to and fro as she saw what she was up against. So it was a cat facing off against a flying rodent...fun. Elesa couldn't help but notice how much of a shine Liepard's fur had to it. It made her smile somewhat, but she still had a battle to focus on.

"Liepard, Feint Attack, then Night Slash!"

Liepard smirked as Katsu asked her to play the game she loved so well. Predatory instincts kicked in as she vanished into the shadows. A smirk played on Elesa's features as she observed the technique.

"Discharge on the battlefield!"

 _'That's not good!'_ Katsu thought.

Emolga gathered energy into her pouches as she released a powerful electric attack that rocked the battlefield and popped Liepard out of her attack just as she was about to strike.

"Now Volt Switch!"

Liepard was already reeling from the initial assault. She slowly stood back up, only to be blasted away by a powerful electrical attack which sent her flying. She skidded to a stop and stood up slowly again, struggling a bit more this time. Joltik was back on the field again.

"Liepard..." Katsu muttered worriedly.

"Return, Liepard..." Katsu said with a soft smile.

"Rufflet, you're turn!"

Rufflet immerged onto the battlefield in all his shimmering glory. Elesa's eyes lit up at the sight of him. She was impressed. Not a lot could say they'd caught a Rufflet, much less a Braviary. They were rarely seen nowadays which was what made this one even more unique aside from the fact that it was shiny. Now that she was done being slightly jealous, she refocused on the battle.

"Rufflet, Tailwind!"

"Joltik, Electroweb!"

The small four inch tall Pokemon began charging electrical energies through its tiny frame before firing off what appeared to be a very large electrical net. Rufflet, seeing this, avoided the oncoming attack using the boost from Tailwind, but only by a narrow margin.

"Aerial Ace!"

Rufflet dove downwards, using the speed he'd gained to propel himself forwards. He soon closed the distance and hammered into Joltik, causing the little bug to fly through the air. Surprisingly, it regained its balance and landed safely. It had taken some damage due to the size and weight ratio difference, but other than that it was fine. Its eyes gleamed as its ability kicked in. Since it had Compound Eyes, its accuracy was boosted tremendously.

"Electroweb again!"

"Wing Attack!"

Joltik concentrated. It knew that with the boost from Tailwind, Rufflet had become much faster. Meaning, that although Rufflet was only mildly quick, the bird just became a bit more of a difficult target to hit. Guessing that Rufflet would dodge the net, Joltik decided to wait. Rufflet barrel rolled to keep himself from being open and that's when Joltik fired. Right as Rufflet came out of the barrel roll, he was caught in the net and jolted with strong currents of electricity. He fell to the ground in a heap.

"Volt Switch!"

Joltik obeyed and fired a nasty Volt Switch towards Rufflet who was helplessly caught in the net. He was zapped by the powerful blast and promptly knocked out.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Joltik wins!"

Jay didn't really like watching this. Katsu wasn't doing so well, and on top of that...she didn't know how to help him. She was nervous for him now. She wanted to shout something supportive but she was afraid it wouldn't be enough.

"Riolu, your turn!"

The Emanation Pokemon was launched into the fray. It stood across from what appeared to be a Flaffy with a concentrated gaze.

 _'How're we doin?'_

 _'Not good...we're down two and Liepard's weak...'_

 _'I see...I'll do what I can here then...'_

"Flaffy, Thunderbolt!"

 _'Keep your distance...that's Mareep's evolved form. It can paralyze you if you make contact...use Vacuum Wave...'_

 _'Got it...'_

Flaffy stood up and concentrated on drawing in the power of her element. She then loosed a powerful Thunderbolt attack towards Riolu, the blast ripping through the air with a shattering noise. Riolu waited patiently before jumping up, the attack missing him by a narrow margin. He whirled around and fired a Vacuum Wave after the windup, catching the pink and white sheep off guard. The blast hit her and she fell over and slowly struggled to get up, shaking her head as she wondered what just happened. Riolu landed in a three point stance and then rose up to face her.

"Care to explain that, Katsu?" Elesa said sternly.

"Yeah, was that about?! Are you trying to cheat?!" One of the crowd roared. It was a fanboy of Elesa's of course.

With a sigh, Katsu shook his head.

"I've explained this to several Gym Leaders already. It's getting rather old, but I don't mind telling it. You see, Riolu is called the Emanation Pokemon and if any of you knew the nature of this Pokemon you would know that he can communicate via telepathy with me. It's by a little something called Aura..."

"I'm not sure I buy that...care to show proof before you're disqualified?"

Katsu raised a brow at this. Why did she have any qualms with it? The other leaders seemed fine. He _really_ didn't want to do this but he had to. He couldn't afford to lose the match based off of this. With a sigh he reached for his bokken. In a swift motion he sliced through the air, the aura traveling from his shoulder to his sword as he fired off a Vacuum Wave.

 _'Intercept it...'_

 _'Got it.'_

Riolu whirled around and fired a Vacuum Wave of his own and it collided with the other one at just the right time. An explosion rang out, but nothing was damaged. Elesa stared wide-eyed at this. Had Katsu just used a move like a Pokemon? This was unheard of for her. It soon dawned on her that the 'special effects' in the theatre weren't simply special effects. Those were _actual_ Vacuum Waves. The crowd had no words either. The fanboy was dumbstruck.

"Alright...I believe you now..." Elesa said, turning to Katsu with a smirk. She was still a bit shaken up by that, not in a scared sense but somewhat excited now.

 _'Why do I get the feeling I shouldn't have done that?'_

 _'Because you know that if you hadn't you wouldn't be able to continue?'_

 _'Right...let's keep going then...'_

Flaffy stared at Riolu who gave her a determined look. This wasn't going to be so easy anymore. Now that Katsu had a bit of an upper-hand. But Elesa had a plan and was going to put it into action here.

 _'Vacuum Wave...'_

"Discharge!"

Flaffy powered up and blasted the entire arena with several bolts of electricity. The attack spread out all over the arena, leaving Riolu with only one option, going up. Riolu leapt high into the air, the attack barely missing him as he whipped his body around. He fired off a Vacuum Wave towards Flaffy which was avoided by a narrow margin.

 _'Keep your distance...'_

 _'Right..'_

 _'Vacuum Wave!'_

Katsu was playing smart here. He didn't want to risk the paralysis, otherwise he knew she'd just have Flaffy light Riolu up like a Christmas tree. Riolu fired off another Vacuum Wave and scored a hit. Flaffy reeled back from the attack and stumbled.

 _'End it with another one!'_

Riolu gathered his aura around his frame before cutting through the air with another Vacuum Wave. The powerful attack sliced through the arena and connected with devastating force. Flaffy fell over unconscious and unable to continue. Riolu landed, panting as he did so.

"Flaffy is unable to battle! Riolu wins!"

"I must say...that was rather impressive. Your Riolu is good, but...Emolga, let's go!"

The flying rodent reappeared onto the field, ready to avenge her comrade.

 _'Can you still battle? I know you're a bit tuckered out...but Liepard's injured...'_

 _'I can if you need me too...and I'm no stranger to these types of fights...you had me fighting at a disadvantage before...I will do so again...'_

 _'Thanks Riolu...I need to give Liepard more time to recover...'_

 _'Not a problem...anything for you my friend.'_

 _'Alright...Vacuum Wave!'_

"Attract!" Elesa winked.

Riolu wound up for his Vacuum Wave and fired if towards Emolga. However, due to her evasiveness and speed, she easily avoided it. Her eyes met with Riolu's who was unable to take his eyes from hers. The power of allurement took hold and he was suddenly enamored.

"Acrobatics fo finish it!"

Riolu tried to move, but he just couldn't. He was so wobbly, he didn't know what was happening to him. All he knew was a warm and fuzzy feeling deep inside of him that kept him from getting out of the way. Emolga suddenly lit into him with several aerial strikes. The power of the move was amplified due to her not carrying any special item. The last strike sent Riolu to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Riolu is unable to battle! Emolga wins!"

 _'I'm sorry Katsu...'_

 _'That's okay...don't worry about it...'_

Katsu sighed softly as he returned Riolu to his side. He picked up Liepard's Pokeball and stared down at it. He knew she was injured, but he was counting on her now.

"Liepard!"

Once again, the graceful cat lunged forwards onto the field, landing in a crouched position, wincing a bit as she stared down her opponent. She hissed at Emolga as she remembered the damage she'd taken. Emolga simply grinned as Liepard limped forwards, growling at the little flying rodent.

"Fury Swipes!"

"Discharge!"

Liepard raced forwards as Emolga charged up. Her speed took her swiftly over to Emolga and she managed to get right on top of her before loosing a vicious attack on the little rodent. She slashed at the body of Emolga and then raised her claw once more to strike again, only for a spark of golden energy to cross her frame, stopping her in place. A smirk crossed Elesa's visage as she knew what this ment.

"It's over..."

Emolga released a powerful discharge that blasted Liepard into the far wall, knocking her out cold. The crowd erupted into cheers as Elesa gave a bow, posing afterwards and winking to towards the bleachers. Katsu knelt down beside Liepard and stroked her fur gently.

 _'I'm sorry Katsu...I failed to bring you victory...'_

 _'Hey...don't worry about that right now...I'm not angry...just a little sad is all...'_

Jay listened in on his conversation with Liepard as he told her not to worry. Her heart went out to him at this point. Even though he'd suffered a crushing defeat, his attitude still didn't break. He looked sad however, and it made her feel depressed to see him that way. Even though he lost, and was somewhat smiling, she could tell he was kicking himself over this.

Elesa turned around to watch as Katsu consoled his Pokemon. She heard no words but saw only actions. He'd just lost and badly too, yet he wasn't even the slightest bit embarrassed or angry. He seemed disheartened however. She could tell he wasn't a bad kid, and she felt a little bad for making an example of him. She was frustrated with what happened at the show. But she wasn't going to fault him for it. She was just ticked because the cameras turned onto him in the middle of a _live_ show. That could have been done AFTER the show was over. She even would have been glad to get a picture with the boy. Her models even liked the movie, but they were all upset at the incident.

She looked over at Jay who seemed to be incredibly worried for Katsu. A faint smile crossed her features as she saw the look in her eyes. It was obvious that she really liked him just from the concern she was showing. She felt even more terrible now after this. A sigh left her lips as she looked back over at Katsu.

"Katsu. What do you strive for in life? Is it to be the strongest or is it something else entirely?" Elesa asked sternly.

Katsu shook his head as he turned to face her. His head was down at the moment as his answer formulated itself.

"Being the strongest isn't my concern. Everyone has their own strength and it's too common a goal to strive for. Anyone who wants that title can have it for all I care..." Katsu replied.

"Elaborate..." Elesa responded.

"In other words, all I want to do is enjoy my journey. I have no need for being the best, because in the end it doesn't matter. Someone will always be better. So there's no point is there? Besides...I have more important things to worry about..." Katsu stated, looking pointedly at Jay and then his Liepard and then down to his Pokeballs.

Elesa caught his glances and smiled softly to herself. Now there was a trainer with heart.

"My goal is to have fun battling, and if I happen to become Champion in the process, then so be it. Honestly? I just want to help others as best I can. I have a friend who has a goal...and I'm going to help them reach it. That is my purpose...to help others before myself."

Elesa smiled at this. Her features had become more calm and she turned to look at him once more before dawning a more serious expression.

"I want to fight you again...when you are ready, come to me and we will fight again. I want to see just how strong you become after this. For now...farewell..." Elesa stated as she turned to leave.

"Elesa!" Katsu called out.

Elesa paused and turned to look at him.

"Next we meet...the battle will be different. Just so you know..." Katsu smirked.

"I have a feeling it will be Katsu...don't disappoint me." Elesa grinned, winking before she turned to exit, working that natural runway walk.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu sighed as he and Jay left the gym. Jay looked more worried now which confused Katsu.

"Hey...don't worry...I'm fine..." Katsu smiled.

"N-n-no, you're not...you lost. I can tell you're a little discouraged..."

"No really...I'm okay...a loss is a loss. I can get through it."

"Will you just let me help you?!" Jay shouted.

Katsu was a little taken aback by this abrupt outburst. Jay covered her mouth a bit and shook her head. She bowed apologetically before looking back up at Kastu.

"You've been so kind to me Katsu...please...let me help you...okay?" Jay said, her eyes slightly watering at this point. Katsu couldn't help but soften up.

"Okay...what did you have in mind?"

"Well...it's a bit of a stretch...if you're up for some exploring..."

This made Katsu smile. She was really trying to make him feel better.

"Alright...I'm up for it..."

Relieved, Jay smiled softly and walked towards the Pokemon Center.

"First...let's heal your Pokemon...then we'll get some rest and head out early tomorrow. I was told about this place so it will be of great help to you..." Jay smiled.

"Thanks Jay..." Katsu said with a soft smile, pulling her into a hug.

Jay's breath practically got caught in her throat. A blush crept onto her features as she felt his arms around her. She couldn't help but embrace him back. They pulled apart and Jay looked away, fidgeting with her hands, trying not to meet his gaze. She was afraid of what she might do. She didn't want to mess anything up. She _really_ liked Katsu. She was happy, and that was something she couldn't always say.

 **And that's a wrap for this chapter! Phew! It took me a while to figure out what I was going to do. I wanted to add the fashion show in because well, reasons. I mean come on, it's Elesa! That said, how did you all like it? About what you'd expect to happen when someone steals your spotlight right? I hope you all enjoyed it. So, how will he defeat her after that? Wanna know? Keep watch for the next installment of Icy Wrath!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello again everyone! How are you this fine afternoon? Well, it's about that time again! Another chapter is here! So, how did you all like the last one? I hope the results were pleasing. At first I was still trying to figure out how this would go down but then a thought occurred to me. Two people, one well known, one starting to be, gathering in the same place would make for an excellent confrontation. Now Katsu needs to pick himself up and get his barrings back and win this next battle. Let's see what Jay has to show him shall we?! By the way, raise your hand if you all think she's adorable -raises his own without question- Also, credit for the idea in this chapter, goes to PG-13! This recently came in so I hope you enjoy it! It's going to be awesome! So without further ado, let's get right to it shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 15:It's Not a Date! Is it?**

Katsu sighed softly as he awoke the next day. He couldn't figure out how he was going to defeat Elesa. Flashes of the battle ran through his mind as he sat up in bed. He didn't know what to do at this point. He'd lost, badly. And even though he didn't show it...it hurt a little. He heaved a sigh as he got up to shower. He needed a long time to think things over. He couldn't wrap his mind around how strong Elesa was. She flattened him. He had a feeling she would have scored 4-0 on him had he not remembered Flaffy's ability. He knew that strategy worked but would it work again? He shook his head and got up, taking his PJ's off and stepping into the bathroom for a shower.

He was now, probably two steps behind Hugh. Then again...the next city took quite a bit of time to get to and he hadn't heard from Hugh in a while. He wondered if he was okay. After about half an hour, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around himself. He began to dig around in his bag and pulled out another outfit he hadn't worn yet and sorted it out.

 _'He looks so out of it...'_ Liepard said after waking up and noticing the look on Katsu's face.

 _'I know...it's not like him to have such a lack of confidence in his expression...he must really be crushed right now...'_

 _'So...how can we help him Riolu?'_

 _'Well...I think Jay might actually be doing that...I'm curious to see what it could be...'_

 _'She really does like him doesn't she?'_

 _'That much is obvious...'_ Rufflet interjected.

 _'Oh, morning feather brains,'_ Liepard grinned playfully.

 _'Morning...hairball...'_

 **X-X-X**

Jay also hopped out of the shower. She couldn't figure out exactly what she wanted to wear at this point. This entire time she'd been wearing her usual outfit. She had other clothes but this was one of her favorites. She glanced at her wardrobe and decided on a similar style outfit. She began to tend to her hair before getting dressed. It shone brilliantly in the sunlight that leaked through the doors. She didn't really wear much makeup as she had beautiful natural features. She was actually quite attractive though she acted so awkward which was what made people shy away from her. On top of that...her powers really didn't help much either.

She sighed softly and shook her head. No. She was not going to let that bother her today. She wanted to show Katsu a good time. He was in a slump after losing and she wanted to make him feel better. That's what friends do, right? Right. Settling on the second outfit she'd chosen she slipped the dress on. It was a dress with a turtleneck as well and it was white. She decided to put on her black designer vest this time. She then slipped into her designer boots after sliding into her black stockings. She didn't realize it, but she was matching Katsu in style. She wore black and white with some other colors added in, he did the same.

She looked at herself in the mirror and dawned her favorite headphones only this time, she placed them around her neck instead of over her ears. She was going to use them once she got to the carnival. She actually had cute little ears. She just hid them most of the time. Her dual colored eyes looked at herself as she gazed into the mirror. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, a determined expression fixating itself on her features. Today, she was going to be a little more brave. With that, she left, Gen and Dusk hiding from sight as usual.

 _'So...she's now dressing up for him huh? Think she's got it bad?'_

 _'Duh? Did you see the way she looked at him last night? She all but melted into a puddle of mush Dusk...'_

 _'I know that Gen, I could visibly see her sweating nervously...but she was content with it at the same time. We need to approach this as delicately as possible...'_

 _'You mean...mess around with her on their date?'_

 _'Well...when you put it that way, it sounds like we're trying to sabatoge it...no, we're not doing that. I want her to enjoy the time she spends with Katsu...but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun..'_

 _'Dusk...you've made me proud...so...proud,'_ Gen nearly teared up.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu zipped up his white jacket and dawned the new scarf he'd been given by his mother. She said it went with the outfit so he wore it. He wore a pair of faded black jeans to go with his white and black shoes he always wore. His bokken and sakabatou were going to be left in the room. He wasn't going to bring it with him because he had been told he should leave them there. They weren't going to be doing anything that would require them so there was no reason for him to bring them. A knock soon came to the door and he moved to open it. Rufflet and Riolu were on his shoulders as usual and his other Pokemon were out as well. They seemed to prefer travelling with him this way at times.

As he opened the door, he saw Jay standing there looking quite cute in her new outfit. It kept in line with her style while adding something new at the same time. A faint blush crept over Jay's features as she stared back at him. Why did he have to look so good? This just made it harder for her to form the courage to do anything around him. She smiled softly at him.

"Ready?"

"Sure...where are we going?"

"There's a carnival today...we're going to go have some fun Katsu."

"Are you sure...I mean...shouldn't I be training?"

"No buts about it mister...you're coming!" Jay said firmly.

 _'Ooo, Jay's becoming fiesty...think she's getting more confidence?'_

 _'Not sure Gen, but I rather like this new development...let's see where it leads...'_

 _'Oh I have a feeling I know where it will lead...'_ Gen stated, grinning like a loon.

Katsu didn't know what to make of this. Before he knew it he was taken by the hand and lead down the stairs and out of the Pokemon Center in Nimbasa City. Where did this sudden burst of confidence come from? Now Katsu was the one confused. Was this the same shy, foot shuffling, stammering girl that was outside the Virbank Gym? It was definitely her...but there was something different. He wasn't going to try to think about it now. She was clearly on a mission and it looked as though he didn't have a choice in the matter.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay stood in line for the carnival. As Katsu was about to pay for his tickets, Jay stopped him and held up her phone. Punching in a few commands she showed it to the man who gave out the tickets and he entered the number on the screen into the register. With that done Jay and Katsu received literally, hundreds of tickets.

"Err...are you sure you had to do that?"

"O-of course! I mean...this is my treat to you. I just want to help you...is that okay?"

Katsu didn't know what to think. He couldn't help but smile at this point. She was already helping him forget what happened at the gym. That smile on her face was what was going to keep him going now.

"Alright, let's have some fun then!"

"Yay! Okay ummm...uh...OH! The roller coaster! How about that first?"

"Sure. I'm up for it."

With that, Jay took Katsu by the hand and led him to the indoor rollercoaster. The two stood in line and waited until it was their turn. They soon got into one of the cars along with a few others and were sent rocketing off through many loops, twists and turns. Jay, although clipped in, raised her hands high and began to giggle. Katsu looked over at her with widened eyes. She was actually laughing. Smiling and having a good time. And here he was, down about his loss. He didn't feel right if he didn't smile with her. A chuckle escaped his lips as he put his hands up with her. The ride soon came to a stop and both of them stepped out of it rather dizzily.

She stumbled for a moment, like always and Katsu caught her before she felt forward. A blush colored her cheeks as she looked back at him. She smiled this time, not shaking her head or bowing apologetically this time. Katsu steadied her and the two walked off towards some of the games. One of them involved hitting moving targets with a baseball. It was a bit like the can game only harder. The top prize was a stuffed Tediursa plushie and it was the cutest thing on the prize list. It was a popular item and many had been trying to get it. The trick was to be able to knock down all of the moving targets within thirty seconds. There were twenty five targets. The rules didn't specifically state _how_ one had to knock them down though.

A smirk crossed Katsu's visage as the time started on his challenge. He decided to utilize a modified version of Vacuum Wave which spread out like a pulse at a vertical angle in all directions...only he'd throw the ball to make it look as though he were trying what was set in place. He brought the ball down to his side and waited.

"You know...if you don't throw the ball soon, you're not going to get anything...right?" The game master said as he watched Katsu closely.

"Don't worry...I'll hit something...and I'll be taking the top prize too..." Katsu smirked.

"Good luck with that, it's almost virtually impossible to-"

BOOM!

The ball was released at blinding speeds and with it, the shockwave from the Vacuum Wave which obliterated the targets. The stunned game master could only watch as Katsu took the Tediursa plushie and handed it to Jay. She practically gushed over how cute it was. She hugged Katsu tightly and then lead him to another game. The game master looked over at the time that was left on the clock. It read 29 seconds. He may have waited those seconds to get the targets but the actual time it took him to take them down was a mere one second.

The day continued to go on as Katsu won several other games, including the typical strength test. He decided to take it easy after nearly blowing up the other game he played. He swung the hammer down and the bell rang once. The game master there gave him a prize as well. Soon the two were seated with a bunch of prizes and some cotton candy. They were laughing even. Katsu couldn't help but notice how much more confident Jay was being. This entire day she had taken the lead and was showing him what could be considered the _best_ time of his life. Her face lit up when she laughed and smiled. Her eyes, those beautiful gold and silver eyes just sparkled. He didn't really think to notice this before but...she was beautiful, inside and out.

Sure, Alice was pretty as well, but not like this. Jay had something that surpassed Alice easily. The thought crossed his mind because when he first met Alice, he thought she was actually pretty good looking. But she was much too attention grabbing for his liking. She wanted the spotlight focused on her and that was a bit of a turnoff. She was definitely not his type. But Jay? She...was different. She was gentle, caring, and awkward at times but it was endearing. Still, he couldn't help but notice how hard she was trying to make him feel better.

This whole day she'd been making him forget why he was feeling down in the dumps in the first place. A soft smile crossed his features as he looked over at her. She smiled and blushed, fidgeting with her hair a little as she thought of what to do next.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Okay...so here's the plan...we're gonna hide...'_

 _'You mean...for real hide? I thought we were already hiding...'_

 _'We are Dusk...but yes, for real hide. Katsu is strong enough to to be able to see us when we don't use our powers to their fullest...now we're going to kick it up a notch and -really- have some fun...'_

 _'I believe I like that idea Gen...so what's the plan?'_

 _'Nothing too big...just follow my lead...'_

 _'Mind if we join the fun?'_ Liepard and Riolu asked curiously as they stepped over to the group. They were all away from Katsu and Jay while they sat together.

 _'Oooo, this I like...sure, you can join in...'_

 _'Gen...they're not ghosts...how are they going to-'_

At that moment, Liepard vanished, becoming completely untraceable. Her footsteps made no sound as she darted around back of Dusk with a Night Slash ready only she wasn't going to use it. After making her point, she put her paw down and retracted her claws, licking her paws.

 _'Well...the Queen of Stealth is certainly a fitting title for you...bravo...'_

 _'I can do a little something similar...hey, Dusk...can you show me how you're going to hide for a sec?'_

 _'Certainly Riolu...watch carefully...'_

Dusk soon vanished from sight. He was already invisible to the naked eye but now, his presence was even more hidden to the point where it was barely, if at all, traceable. Riolu blinked as he tried to concentrate on where Dusk might be. Dusk soon reappeared and startled Riolu.

 _'That was good...hmmm...I think I have an idea...it's a little thing I can do with aura. I can make it so that even your aura is hidden...not just your mere presence. I could still feel your aura, but barely...but, I think I have a nifty little trick that will make things even more hilarious...and besides...'_ Riolu stated, suddenly vanishing himself via a new move, Extreme Speed.

 _'I can play that game too...'_ He grinned.

 _'Oh...he's good...'_ Gen smirked.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu laughed softly as Jay unfolded a few of her more awkward moments in life.

"Really? You sealed him in a locker after mentally throwing him in there? Ouch...that must have hurt."

"Yeah...h-he was okay though...he got out...though, they did have to pry the door open..."

"What did he do?"

"Well...he...uh...just looked at me strange, and then suddenly flew into me, accidentally landing on me. I got scared so I...uh...yeah..." She blushed profusely.

"Wow..."

"Yeah...it was bad. But like I said, he was okay. So no worries."

Katsu looked over at Jay's side as she laughed only to notice that her two guardians were missing. Liepard was nowhere in sight and neither was Riolu. Could they have gone off to play some games? Just then, several people ran to their table and began shouting. Apparently he'd been noticed in the carnival and now he had some rabid fans at his table.

"Katsu! You're so cool!"

"Can I have your autograph?!"

"Do you have a girlfriend?!"

 _'Oh that was just cruel Gen...but funny...'_ Dusk laughed as Gen kept the illusion up.

Riolu was even making it so that Katsu's aura senses were confused into thinkin that these were real people. They all had an aura around them as if they were living and breathing. Riolu masked his own Aura as he kept at a distance and helped mask that of Liepards who was busy rustling the table cloth to make it seem like the fans were pushing against the table.

 _'Won't this be a bit much for Jay?'_

 _'Nah...because she'll do what she always does in these situations...run, and probably drag Katsu with her which is what we want...'_

 _'You've thought this all out haven't you?'_

 _'Completely...now...phase two...'_

Jay couldn't take it. The constant shouting was beyond what her ears wanted to bare. She put her headphones up and turned up the music and then reached out and pulled Katsu towards her, running without looking behind. Katsu, didn't have a choice or a chance to look back as the people dispersed. Gen even made it look like they all got distracted by an almost perfect illusion of Elesa.

"Glad we're out of that mess..." Katsu sighed, looking over at Jay who was panting and almost out of breath.

"I don't know what that was but it was crazy. And the questions they were asking...one asked if you were taken...doesn't that embarrass you?" Jay groaned cutely.

Katsu couldn't help but chuckle. She hadn't fully realized she was actually still holding his hand. The moment she came to this realization she became fire engine red all over again. She almost pulled away but...his hand was so warm...and nice. She slowly pulled her hand away, relishing the feel of her hand sliding against his as they parted.

"Errrm...yeah...so...shall we continue?" Jay said nervously.

"Sure...what did you have in mind."

"Hmmm...let's see...err...uh..." She paused, looking around. And that's when she saw it.

"There!" She stated, pointing to one of the other games in the carnival.

 **X-X-X**

 __ _'This is Stealth Poison one to Purple Phantom...divert them from the game...we need to get them to get on a ride alone.'_

 _'On it...'_ Liepard communicated back as she vanished.

Riolu hid her aura and the fun continued. As they were heading to the game, a ton of people from seemingly out of nowhere raced towards it, forming an impossibly long line. This didn't make sense. There must have been at least thirty people in that line. Suddenly, the booth collapsed and the people all sulked and walked away. The game master blinked at what happened, almost panicking at some point. He quickly called over a reconstruction team to help him. What was going on here? He looked around to see most of the other games had lines too.

"Maybe...maybe we can try a ride?" Jay asked, glancing around at the available ones.

"I guess, which one should we go for?"

"Um...oh! There!" Jay pointed.

Katsu glanced over to where she was pointing and saw that it was the ferris wheel. He didn't really care for it all that much.

"I don't know...wouldn't you rather something more fun?"

"Don't argue mister, we're going," Jay said firmly, laughing as she grabbed Katsu by the hand and pulled him along.

Katsu sighed softly to himself as she began pulling him towards the ferris wheel. He thought about not going but she seemed adamant enough about it. Not many people were on the ride actually which was rather strange.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Good work Purple Phantom...we've got them right where we want them...Red Eye, you ready?'_

 _'Always...and...why am I Red Eye?'_

 _'I don't know...maybe it's because you have a red eye?'_

 _'But that's just so...generic...why can't I have something cool like Night Walker or Cyclops?'_

 _'Fine...Cyclops it is, now work with me here.'_

 _'Fine...'_ Dusk muttered.

 _'Blue Wonder, how's our aura situation?'_

 _'Just fine...I can keep it up for a little longer so let's speed this up...'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay paid for the tickets to get on the ride and stepped into their pod. It closed on the two and they were sent off. The ride began to spin around at its normal pace. He had to admit, even though it was a slow ride, it was kinda peaceful.

Jay smiled softly to herself. She couldn't help but feel as though she was finally starting to be happy. As the two circled she couldn't help but notice how wonderful the city looked from where they were. They were so high up, the view was just plain awesome!

 _'Okay Cyclops...stop the ride right at the top...now!'_

Dusk focused his supernatural aura into the entire ride and right as Katsu and Jay's pod got to the top, the ride locked up. Katsu and Jay blinked as they felt the ride stop.

"What just happened?"

"Not sure Katsu...these rides don't usually lock up like this...oh no...this is a disaster!" She whined.

"Hey...no...it's okay, really...it is."

"But...this might take hours to fix! And...oh, just when everything was going so well..."

"It's not all bad. I mean...take a look..." Katsu smiled, pointing outwards as the entire park lit up.

It was getting dark at this point and the entire city was shining brightly with all the neon lights and colors galore. Jay's eyes widened at this. How long had they been there? This was just breathtaking. She was starting to enjoy herself when something dawned on her.

 _'I-I'm alone...with a boy...with Katsu...on a ferris wheel, probably about 250 feet up. This...this is...oh Arceus...what do I do? I'm alone with him...this...I don't know if I'm ready for this yet...'_

Jay glanced over at Katsu who was looking out the window at the ground below. He could tell some of the tech people were working on fixing whatever the heck the problem was.

"So...looks like we're gonna be up here a while..."

"Y-yeah...seems that way...a-a-at least we get to see a good view, right?"

There she went again, getting all nervous and stuttering. She was doing so well earlier too. Her eyes met his, and a blush crept over her features.

 _'Rock the pod a little...but make it look like every pod is moving...we don't want our cover blown...'_

Dusk sent out a large scale pulse of energy with just enough power to rock the wheel a bit, shaking a few of the pods. When Katsu and Jay's pod shook she fell right onto him. He caught her as they bumped the side of the pod. When she looked up, she was in his arms, her face so close to his. She blushed profusely and didn't move.

 _'Do it! Do it! Do it!'_ Gen and Riolu chanted in unison.

Katsu looked down at Jay, his heart starting to pound a little, not because of the shaking of the wheel, but because she was so close. Her features were more beautiful up close. He could feel her breath on his lips. Neither of them moved or did anything for thirty seconds. Those thrity seconds felt like an eternity to them. And then, Jay began to move. She started working up confidence and slowly started to close the distance.

 _'Here it comes...well done boys!'_

 _'Hey!'_

 _'Ooops...sorry Purple Phantom...good job to you too...'_

As she did this, the thought of her father's voice if he found out echoed through her mind and caused her to panic. Her psychic powers activated and she shrieked a bit, causing the pod to somehow tip over. The glass broke that was protecting them and she began to plummet, screaming on the way down. . Katsu instinctively dove after her, arms tucked into his sides to make his body more aerodynamic as he fell after her. The moment he was under her, he twisted and opened his arms, catching her in his arms as they dropped.

He really didn't have much of a plan after this and they still had a good twenty feet before they hit the ground. As they fell, he closed his eyes, waiting for the impact and then...stopped? Suddenly it felt as though he were floating. But how? That's when he looked up and saw Drifblim carrying them. He lowered the two down safely, Jay still holding onto Katsu, her eyes tightly shut as if expecting an impact. When they landed gently her eyes opened.

 _'That was a close call you two...'_ Rif said with a sigh of relief.

 _'Thank you...Rif...'_

 _'You're welcome...though you should be thanking Katsu...if he hadn't caught you it would have made things a little more difficult...'_ Rif said with a smile.

Dusk, Riolu, Liepard and Gen all came out from where they were. Each of them did their best to look confused and worried. Katsu could tell there was something up. He may have had his aura senses messed with, but that didn't mean he couldn't see that something was strange. They had been gone most of the day.

"Alright you guys...what happened and where were you?"

Gen offered an apologetic look.

 _'We uh...thought we'd help you two on your date...'_

Katsu and Jay exchanged looks and then glanced back at Gen.

 _'Date? You thought we were on a date?'_

 _'You were weren't you?'_

 _'Gen...she just wanted to take me here so I could forget about my loss...it wasn't a date, it was just something fun for us to do...'_

 _'WHAT?!'_ Four voices echoed in unison as they all fell over anime style.

 _'I thought I told you guys that!'_ Jay shouted, rather embarrassed at the whole thing.

 _'We must have misunderstood...we thought that when humans take each other places it means they are going on a date...sorry...'_

 _'It's okay Dusk...you guys didn't know...I just wanted to cheer Katsu up...that's all...'_

"And...I hope it worked..." Jay stated audibly, turning to face Katsu with a soft smile.

"Are you kidding? That was one of the most awesome days I think I've ever had! Aside from the monkey business they pulled...it was actually rather funny. And you, well...you kept the day interesting. Seriously, I loved it. You've made me feel so much better. Now I can go back to that gym and face down Elesa with renewed confidence!" Katsu smirked.

 _'So it worked...it worked! Yes! I made him happy! He said it! Eeeeee! Now...uh...what's after that? Oh! That's right! I nearly forgot...he needs to find a ground type. Fortunately my parents know of a place where there are plenty...'_

"Errm...Katsu?"

"Yeah Jay?"

"I-I-I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I just got so freaked out that I panicked...I almost...well...I-" She was cut off as Katsu placed his finger on her lips.

"Shh...it's okay. Don't worry, I was more concerned about you than what would happen to me. If anything, I'm just glad you're safe..."

This made her cry a little, not sadly but happily.

"Katsu..." She said, nearly choked up. Without hesitation she latched onto him and hugged him tightly.

 _'Well...it's not a kiss team, but it's progress...definitely progress...'_

 _'Perhaps we should tone down our antics a little in the future...'_

 _'Maybe...this was a bit risky Dusk...not exactly what I planned...'_

 _'Ah...that's right, her powers are a bit difficult for her to control so she can't really hold back...when she uses them anyway...'_

 _'Well, I think it went rather well, aside from them falling from over 200 feet up...this result is rather pleasing...'_ Liepard smiled.

"Well, what do you say we head back to the Pokemon Center? I want to get some rest and get an early start on the gym tomorrow. After today, I feel like I could take on everyone!" Katsu said with a smirk.

"Slow down there Katsu..before we do that...there is one more place I want to take you. It's going to set us back a little but it will be worth it, and it will help you get your badge..."

"Alright, we'll do that first then...and Jay?"

"Y-yes Katsu?"

"Thank you...this day meant a lot to me. Seriously, this was hands down the most fun I've had in a long time."

"I-I don't know what to say...you're welcome. And I'm so glad you liked it. I was worried you'd hate the idea..." Jay said, fidgeting with her hands a bit as she blushed.

"You did an awesome job, you just keep setting the bar higher...I'll have to repay you for this one too..."

"N-n-no! That's not necessary! I did this because...well...you were sad and I wanted to make you feel better. No need to pay me back!" She stammered.

"If you're sure..." Katsu smiled softly.

Gen grinned deviously at this statement.

 _'Idea, Gen?'_

 _'Idea, Dusk...'_

 **And this wraps up another chapter! So, how did you like it? I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you had fun reading. This chapter was a blast! I had to really figure out just what kind of mischief I wanted their Pokemon to pull on those two. After running through some hilarious ideas I came up with what you saw already. I hope the dialogue was good as well. I try to keep the comedy relief going when it's needed. Gen, and Dusk, are always fun to watch. Their conflicting missions make for some pretty awkward situations. Now it seems like they have a common goal while still maintaining their original task, which is to guard Jay. I wonder what will happen next? Well, if you're curious to find out what else our lovely little team of match makers has in store for those two, keep reading! Also, the rematch is coming up! Next time on Icy Wrath! Also, once again, thank you PG-13 for the idea for this! Don't forget to check out his stories! He's got good ones. Anyway, time to work on the next one!**


	16. Chapter 16

**And here we go again folks! Hiya! Having fun? That last chapter certainly was fun to write. Now it's on to what I was going to write before. I decided to save it until after the previous chapter since the idea I was given seemed to fit much better and made more sense. That, and it was way too cute to pass up. Now the duo is going to backtrack! There's only one place they could possibly go for what they're after. Well...there's a few but only one of them is the best bet. So, are you excited? I'm excited! Let's get to it! BANZAI!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 16: You Know The Drill!**

Jay stared longingly into Katsu's eyes as the two drew closer and closer together. Her body trembled in his arms as he held her against him under the light of the moon. Slowly but surely she began to close the distance between their lips and-

"Eeek!" Jay shrieked before covering her mouth. She looked around and found that she was in her bed, in her PJ's. She was breathing heavily and looked down at herself. She gave a sigh of relief and palmed her face. She reached over at her notebook and opened it up to look at what she'd written down. She gasped when she saw Katsu's name written all over a few pages with hers next to it inside of a heart. Panicking she threw the book which Gen, unfortunately, caught.

 _'What's this?'_

 _'It's mine! Give it!'_

 _'Ohhhh this is one of those secret diary things isn't it? Mind if I have a peek?'_

 _'YES I MIND! Give it!'_

 _'Let's see here...should I-'_ He was thumped over the head and a hand reached out from the shadowy depths and pulled the book under.

Rising up from the ground, Dusk returned the diary to Jay.

 _'Oh come on! I was going to return it...'_

 _'After you read it...'_

 _'Hey, I'm not that low!'_

 _'Need I remind you of your past shenanigans?'_

 _'Touche...'_

Jay sighed in relief and looked down at the notebook. She was embarrassed at how much she'd scribbled in it. Did she really feel that way? She was so confused that it almost hurt to think about it. A groan escaped her lips as she got up to shower.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu couldn't help but think about what happened at the carnival. They were sitting in the pod when it tipped a little. Jay bumped into him and was suddenly against his chest looking up at him. He remembered the blush that crept onto her features. He remembered feeling his heart racing. He also recalled her breath against his lips as she _nearly_ kissed him. He felt hot just thinking about it. He shook his head vigorously as he looked in the mirror at himself. He had just stepped out of the shower and was brushing the knots out of his hair. The price that came with having long hair. So. Much. Work. He put the brush down and tied his hair back into a ponytail and grabbed his bokken and sword, hitching them to his back with his backpack.

Riolu wandered up to him with an apologetic look on his face. His eyes were downcast and not meeting Katsu's directly.

 _'Hey...it's okay...I know you all were just trying to help...'_

 _'I know...I feel kinda bad for hiding everyone's aura though...'_

 _'Wait...you hid it? No wonder I couldn't sense anything...what else did you do?'_

 _'Errm...well...those illusions of 'fans' that you saw, I spread aura through them to make them seem real.'_

 _'I didn't even know you could do that...you're really getting stronger now aren't you?'_

 _'I discovered I could do it a few days ago...with a little practice and with Dusk showing me how he vanished...I was able to perfect it...so uh...yeah...'_

 _'Wow...I'm impressed...'_

 _'You mean you're not mad?'_

 _'Heck no! That's just cool!'_

Riolu blinked at this remark. Was he alright in the head? Maybe the fall, though he didn't get hurt, took more out of him than he thought. Or maybe Katsu really was just that chill. It was hard to tell sometimes. Relieved, Riolu smiled again and nodded.

 _'So...what's the plan for today?'_

 _'Well...Jay said we're heading back to Castelia today. I wonder why though...'_

 _'I see...well, whatever it is, it must be important...'_

 _'Yeah...must be. It'll take us a few hours to get there but it'll be worth it according to her...'_

 _'I see...well, I guess we ought to be ready then huh?'_

 _'Yep...I have no idea what we're doing...'_

A knock came to his door as he finished speaking. Opening the door he spotted Jay, and yet again she looked rather nice. She had on a similar outfit to her usual one which was apparently the style she liked.

"H-hey Katsu...good morning..." She smiled, looking up at him.

"Morning Jay...are we all set?"

"Mhm...I'm all ready to go. I figure if we leave now...since it's early...we can get back before dark and have time for your rematch...I hope you don't mind too terribly waking up this early..."

Katsu looked at the clock. It was 6:15 in the morning. The sun hadn't even come up and yet he was surprisingly awake. A soft laugh escaped his lips as he turned and faced her. She was doing so much for him, it was unbelievable. Sure, getting up so early wasn't exactly what he liked but he would do it since Jay was helping him.

"I don't mind at all..so, shall we go?" Katsu smiled softly.

"Yes...yes we shall..." Jay smiled back.

"Alright then, let's get going shall we?" Katsu said with a chuckle, clipping his Pokeballs to his belt, save for Rufflet and Riolu who rode on his shoulders. He couldn't not let them could he? Liepard was too big and Darumaka...well...he wouldn't go there.

 **X-X-X**

It took them several hours to get there but they managed to do so before noon. The last time they'd done this,it took about eight hours total. This time, they cut it by three, mainly because there were no battles to fight. They began to walk through the streets of Castelia City with Jay in the lead.

"So...where are we going exactly?"

"It's a little place my parents told me about...well big rather...it's called Relic Passage. Normally you'd need to go through Driftveil but...I found out there was an entrance in the sewers in Castelia..."

"The sewers? Okay...I like where this is headed. Those Pokemon down there were pretty aggressive though. If anything we'll have to keep our guard up..." Katsu smirked.

"Right...now...we're almost there..."

Katsu nodded as he followed beside her. He couldn't help but notice that her walk had changed since they'd been traveling together. She carried herself with more confidence now which made her into almost a completely different person. He just couldn't figure it out. What changed? He just couldn't put his finger on it. He was either slow or still tired, his brain was just waking up fully.

 _'Everything okay father?'_

 _'Yeah...I'm alright Rufflet...thanks for asking...'_

 _'You're sure?'_

 _'Uh..well...'_ Katsu hesitated.

 _'I think I'm starting to like Jay...'_

 _'Don't you mean...you ALREADY like her?'_

 _'When did you jump in the conversation Riolu?'_

 _'Since now?'_ The little blue canine grinned.

Katsu palmed his face and simply looked over at Jay. She was busy looking at songs on her phone. She had the music up from what he could tell so she wasn't going to hear him. He sighed in relief and shifted his attention back to his companions.

 _'Well...it's a bit strange. You know? I've known her almost a month now and yet...well...I can't help but feel happy when I'm around her. I mean sure, I always get a thrill out of my usual stuff...sparring, getting attacked by some crazy criminal syndicate...jumping from 200 feet up...'_

Rufflet and Riolu laughed at this as they knew he was being partly serious and funny at the same time. Katsu laughed too.

 _'But...that one moment up there. When all the city was lit up and I could feel her against me. It was different than the first time she hugged me. Albeit...she was somewhat forced into me due to the shakiness of the pod...I could sort of get the feeling that she wanted to stay there...just a bit longer...'_

Riolu and Rufflet both exchanged glances before looking back at Katsu.

 _'She probably did...Gen and Dusk have seen changes in her ever since she's been around you. In all honesty, you're the reason she's so happy Katsu. And because of that, she wants to make you happy too...'_

 _'You think so?'_

 _'She tried to kiss you Katsu...and ALMOST did. It's obvious she likes you...'_

 _'Heh...I guess you're right.'_

 _'Just give her time to come around though...'_ Dusk interjected, looking back at Katsu.

 _'Err...of course...I don't want to rush it or anything. That's the last thing I want to do...'_

Dusk nodded and turned around to continue floating beside Jay. Katsu was grateful for everything that happened so far. He turned towards Jay and smiled at her. She returned the gesture after feeling his eyes on him. A blush crept over her features as she turned to face forward.

"Well...we're here..." Jay said as they stopped walking.

"Yeah...this is going to be interesting..." Katsu said as the two trekked through the station so they could reach the sewers.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu opened the sewer hatch and went down first, accompanied by Jay, who not being sure-footed, slipped and fell downwards. Reacting quickly, Katsu caught her bridal style. Jay blinked as she realized she was in the position that a man would carry his wife after the wedding. Her face suddenly got hot and she blushed as she was set down. She looked away for a moment, trying to calm herself down. Gen simply chuckled at this and Dusk rolled his eye.

 _'How many opportunities has she had?'_

 _'Too many...and what's funny is these are her own doing! I don't even have to set them up half the time anymore!'_ Gengar laughed hysterically.

 _'Indeed...the last 423 times were embarrassing enough...this is just...what's the word...cute?'_

 _'I think the word you're looking for, is hilarious, Dusk...and wait...you've been keeping track?'_

 _'Right...completely different concept...and yes...yes I have...'_

"You okay?" Katsu inquired.

"Y-y-yeah...sorry, I'm fine, really, I just...was a little shaken up. Yeah, that's it. Just shaken up is all. I'm such a klutz..." She grumbled cutely.

"That's okay...I'm not gonna let you get hurt. I already promised myself I wouldn't..." Katsu smiled.

"You did?" Jay asked wide-eyed.

"Yes...now, lead the way?" Katsu inquired.

"Right...let's see...it's..." Jay concentrated for a moment, tapping into her psychic energy to try and pinpoint the location of the entrance to the passage.

"Huh...it's actually right along the same waterline that your Purrloin went downstream in before evolving into Liepard. That simplifies things..."

"Indeed it does...the only question now is, what are doing when we get there?"

"You'll find out. I assure you, this is going to be well worth the trouble of coming back here."

"If you say so..." Katsu smiled. Jay nodded and they all made their way down towards the entrance of Relic Passage.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu blinked as he stepped inside Relic Passage with Jay. The place was HUGE. The sewers were bad enough, but this was just ridiculous. Did this lead all over Unova? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He still couldn't figure out why Jay would have him back track all the way here. He glanced at Jay with a rather confused gaze that suggested he didn't know where to start.

"Let's start walking. We're bound to come across quite a few Ground and Rock-types down here."

Katsu's eyes widened a bit. So _that's_ why she wanted to come here. It was because there were Pokemon that could help him here. But as of right now, he couldn't see any Pokemon. He glanced over at Riolu and then at Rufflet.

 _'Do you guys feel anything...it's rather calm here...'_

 _'Actually...yes...but faintly. I'm not sure where it's coming from though...'_ Riolu replied.

Katsu shifted his feet a little as he closed his eyes. Riolu doing the same as they began to feel for any signs of life. At that point, Jay noticed a dust cloud heading their way. Something was beneath the surface and headed their way, and _fast._ Katsu's eyes shot open and so did Riolu's as whatever it was came their direction. Riolu and Katsu both sidestepped the cloud and something bursted out of the ground in front of them. The creature soon surfaced into plain sight.

It's body was short and wide. It had two small feet with only three toes on each. It was mostly black on its body with a few jagged blue stripes running across its frame in diagonal arcs from the shoulders. It had a white long snout with a pink nose at the end of it. Its eyes were at the base of the snout on either side of it. Blue spots were visible on its palms which grew into three very large claws. It also had a small stub of a tail.

Katsu took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the Pokemon in front of him.

 **Drilbur. The Mole Pokemon. By spinning its body, Drilbur can dig straight through the ground at a speed of 30 miles per hour.** The Pokedex informed.

Katsu smirked as he saw the typing of it too. This was exactly what he'd hoped for. Katsu observed how powerful the claws were on this Pokemon. Drilbur also seemed to have a rather calm demeanour.

"They must have been underground...but this little guy came out on his own. I wonder why..." Katsu chuckled.

 _'I'll ask...'_ Riolu said as he hopped down.

 _'Hi...'_

 _'Oh, hello there, sorry, didn't mean to scare you guys like that.'_

 _'It's fine...so, what brings a Drilbur like you up here?'_

 _'Well...I was digging around, trying to help my friends out with their nest when I heard something above the surface...so...curious, I came to see what was going on.'_

 _'I see...well, we're actually glad you're here.'_

 _'Really? What for?'_

Riolu nodded towards Katsu and Jay who were standing there watching. Drilbur noticed the shiny Rufflet on Katsu's shoulder and his eyes widened. He'd never seen anything so shiny. He took note of the Pokeballs which indicated that Katsu was a trainer. Drilbur had seen several trainers pass through here, but none of them seemed to take interest in him. They all went after the Boldore or the Onix. He was a little disheartened by that.

 _'You okay?'_ Riolu asked.

 _'Yeah...it's just that...a lot of trainers have come and gone. Not many see a Drilbur like me and think anything good can come from catching us when they could have a Boldore or an Onix...or the other evolved ones here...'_

 _'I see...so you're a bit downcast about it? Well, I can tell you one thing...Katsu, my trainer, is not one to overlook anything...no matter how small they may seem.'_

 _'What do you mean?_

 _'Have you looked at me? I'm only a foot taller than you...and his other Pokemon aren't any bigger, save for Liepard which recently evolved.'_

 _'So wait...he still has little guys like me?'_

 _'Yes...and he has trained us to become strong enough to contend with those who would overpower us. And I am certain that he can do the same for you...'_

 _'Well then...I want to battle him...'_

 _'That's the spirit...'_

Riolu walked back over towards Katsu and looked up at him. A smile resting on his features as he nodded back to Drilbur.

"So...I take it he wants to battle huh?"

Riolu simply nodded as he turned towards Drilbur.

"Then it's a battle he'll get..." Katsu smirked.

"Good luck Katsu..." Jay smiled.

"Thanks Jay..." Katsu chuckled as he turned to face Drilbur.

"Alright...Darumaka, you first!" Katsu said as he threw his first Pokemon out.

The excitable little ball of fire burst from the ball and began dancing in place. Drilbur blinked as he saw how tiny Darumaka was. They were pretty much the same height.

"Darumaka, Fire Punch!"

Darumaka raced forwards, pulling his fist back as flames engulfed his right arm. Drilbur, seeing this coming, dove underground and began to spin his body to travel around.

"Keep moving Darumaka!" Katsu called out.

Darumaka began dancing around as usual, not letting his movements get predicted. Drilbur erupted from the ground at 30 miles per hour narrowly missing hitting Darumaka who avoided the attack at a close margin.

"Darumaka, Incinerate!"

 _'I'M A FIRIN' MAH LAZAH!'_

 _'Your what no-oh...'_ Drilbur paused as the fire blasted towards him. He quickly dove underground and then came up quickly with brutal force, sending Darumaka rocketing backwards, skidding and bouncing as he went. Darumaka was knocked out after that fight. Drilbur turned back towards Katsu, wondering what would be sent his way next.

"Rufflet, up for it?" Rufflet didn't even need to be asked. He simply flew off Katsu's shoulders and hovered above Drilbur.

Drilbur stared defiantly at Rufflet, knowing the eaglet had the advantage. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

Rufflet launched itself into battle and soared down towards his opposition, ready to deliver a punishing blow. Drilbur needed to think fast. He waited for just the right moment and then dove underground as the eaglet flew in, missing his target. Rufflet circled back around, screeching his challenge.

 _'Come on out...I know you're down there...'_

And Drilbur did come out. He bursted out of the ground and was now above Rufflet with gleaming steel claws. He delivered a punishing metal claw to Rufflet, sending him sprawling out of control. Unbeknownst to Rufflet, Drilbur's attack stat increased after a quick Hone Claws and after that Metal Claw. Rufflet righted himself as he was about to hit the ground and pulled up.

"Tailwind into Aerial Ace!"

Now that was a tactic Rufflet could get behind. He whipped up a Tailwind as he called upon the powers of the wind. His wings gave a mighty flap and the effect was created. He then screeched loudly before diving down on his opponent at an even faster rate than before. Rufflet slammed into Drilbur and knocked him back into a nearby boulder. Rubble fell onto Drilbur who promptly knocked it off of him and stood up, shaking off the attack. It hurt, and Rufflet was definitely strong. But Drilbur was even stronger now.

"Watch it Rufflet...he just stat boosted!"

Rufflet nodded at this and turned to face Drilbur who was staring him down, almost daring him to make a move.

"Rufflet, use Wing Attack!"

Rufflet flapped his wings and bursted forwards, using the Tailwind he'd created to gain the boost in speed. His wings glowed white and his eyes were focused on Drilbur as he darted along. As he neared, Drilbur pulled his right claw back and it shined brightly. Rufflet didn't have enough time to pull up. The claw connected with Rufflet and slammed him hard into the ground. Dirt kicked up everywhere and when it all cleared, Rufflet was unconscious at Drilbur's feet.

 _'He's strong...he's taken down two of my Pokemon already. Then again...he's been here for a long time probably and must be used to battling amongst his own. So this is the power of a Pokemon from Relic Passage...I owe Jay a lot after catching him...'_

 _'I think it's your turn partner...'_

 _'You don't want to use Liepard?'_

 _'Nope...something tells me that you'll do just fine. I can see his aura from here...it's intense. I don't know why...but I think he wants to fight you...'_

 _'If you're certain...alright.'_

Riolu jumped from Katsu's shoulder and landed in front of Drilbur in a three point stance.

 _'So I'm fighting you huh?'_

 _'Yep...he thinks we're a good match...'_

 _'I concur...you seem very strong...this should be fun...'_

 _'Extreme Speed...'_

Riolu smirked as his body practically vanished. Drilbur's eyes went wide at this and hardly had any time to react as Riolu delivered a powerful spin kick to the torso, sending him flying backwards into a wall.

 _'Since when did Riolu learn that?'_

 _'Probably from the fights it did on the way to Nimbasa...maybe it was after his gym battle...I can't remember right off, Jay...'_

 _'That's okay Dusk. It's just amazing how quick he's growing...Katsu's so amazing with his Pokemon...'_

Drilbur got back up and shook the attack off. He blinked as he looked over at Riolu. That was faster than anything he'd seen before. It was as if he'd teleported, he may as well have. Drilbur couldn't keep up with that kind of speed. However, when it came to strength, Drilbur still had a bit of an upper-hand. He dove underground and drilled his way towards Riolu. Riolu needed no guidance at this point. He knew exactly what Katsu would ask of him. As soon as Drilbur bursted from the ground, he spun to the side, narrowly avoiding the drilling claws. He then slammed a glowing blue palm into Drilbur, the resulting aftershock sending him rocketing back underground.

Riolu stood at the edge of the hole that was created, simply looking down into it. Suddenly, a bright white light erupted from the hole and the ground began to shake with tremendous force. Just then, Riolu sensed something wasn't right and immediately jumped back as the ground split open. A much larger pokemon rocketed out of the ground and stood before Riolu.

The bipedal dog's eyes widened a bit as he saw the new foe. It was not a Drilbur, albeit it was the same opponent he'd been facing. It's body was now bigger and there were now red diagonal markings on his body on his body, two under each arm, two on the back and three across the front. The rest of the body looked relatively the same. There were a few major differences. There was an unusually large blade extending from his forehead which went past his nose. It grew at least few more feet, now looking down at Riolu.

 _'Well...this is a new development...'_

 _'Indeed...I rather like this new development...though...this blade on my head...is it really necessary? As if I didn't already have large claws as it is...'_

 _'Indeed...it is a little excessive...but you gain quite a bit of power too...I can feel it...'_

 _'I believe you're right...'_

 _"Let's see..." Katsu pointed the Pokedex at Excadrill._

 **Excadrill. The Subterrene Pokemon. Excadrill can tunnel more than 300 feet below the surface. They build maze-like nests. Their activity can be desructive to subway tunnels. Their steel claws form a drill along with its head strong enough to bare a hole through a steel plate, no matter how thick it is.**

Katsu smirked as he saw the newly evolved Excadrill. Now it was going to be a real fight. Excadrill dove underground, much faster than before. It quickly came up from behind and aimed a metal claw right at Riolu who was sent flying across the cave. Riolu landed and tumbled to his feet.

 _'Careful...he's underground again...when you feel him hit him hard with Vacuum Wave...'_

 _'Got it...'_

Excadrill suddenly came bursting out of the ground and once again rammed right into Riolu who was sent skidding across the ground towards Katsu's feet. Riolu struggled to his feet and shook off the blow.

 _'He's gotten much stronger...this just got more complicated...'_

 _'True...but something else changed. He's now weak against you...even though he may have the upper-hand strength-wise...you aren't as weak to his moves as he is to yours. Now...let's get in there and give it to him...'_

 _'Gotcha...'_

Excadrill turned towards Riolu and then clasped his claws together with his head and leapt forwards, spinning like a drill. This was a new attack which wasn't something Riolu expected. He wasn't able to dodge the blow all the way and took a slight hit from the force of the attack which sent him stumbling backwards a bit. Riolu was looking tired out. Excadrill was really doing a number on him. Excadrill powered up again and dove underground.

 _'Use your aura to feel him out...and then...when he's just about to strike, dodge early and use Sky Uppercut...he won't expect that since he's not seen it...'_

Riolu nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on the vibrations in the ground. The ground was trembling from the power of the Excadrill. It was quite impressive. Riolu could feel him getting closer. He was a lot deeper and less obvious than when he was a Drilbur...so timing here was everything. Riolu's eyes shot open just as he felt the pressure beneath his feet increase. He leapt to the side and evaded the claws of the mighty mole by a narrow margin. Riolu's fist glowed with intensity as he whirled around. He drove a powerful uppercut right to Excadrill's body and sent him flying. Without a word, Riolu leapt upwards and drove an aura powered Force Palm right into the airborne mole before he could recover.

The heavy Steel/Ground-type crashed hard into the ground, unable to go on. Katsu smiled softly and took out a Pokeball. He tossed it at Excadrill and caught him right on the spot with little to no resistance. Katsu looked back at a thoroughly exhausted Riolu.

"Here...why don't you have a rest too. I'll heal you up back at the Pokemon Center and then we'll be heading back to Nimbasa for a rematch. After that...I need to pick something up at the mart."

Riolu nodded and Katsu returned him to his ball. Katsu then turned to Jay.

"You did it Katsu! That was so awesome!" She giggled.

"And I have you to thank...had you not brought me here, I would have never caught him. I think he'll make a fine addition to the team...so yeah..." Katsu smiled, pulling her in close for a hug.

"Thanks..." He whispered softly.

Jay couldn't stop blushing. This was the second time she'd been embraced or embraced him. She simply closed her eyes and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him in return. Katsu and Jay pulled apart and walked out of the Relic Passage the way they came.

 **X-X-X**

As was predicted, the trip back wasn't so bad. It was just reaching 6:00 in the evening when they arrived back in Nimbasa City. Katsu knew he was ready for her this time. His Pokemon wanted a rematch and he was going to deliver. He had a strategy in place that was going to earn him that badge. Both Jay and Katsu stood before the Nimbasa City Gym with renewed confidence.

 _'I'm not going to let all Jay's hard work go to waste...she worked way too hard to cheer me up and help me out. I'm going to show her just how much I appreciate that by winning this fight...'_ Katsu thought as he reached for the door, the automatic doors opening at his presence.

The sound of a cheering crowd could be heard as the stage was occupied again. It seemed there were two shows scheduled. If he remembered correctly, he saw the dates on the poster.

"I think I'm gonna wait here...I don't want to cause a scene like last time. You can go in if you want..."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because you're here, and it won't be any fun if you're not in there with me..." Jay said with a faint smile.

"Really? You mean that?"

"Y-yeah...I do..." Jay blushed.

 **X-X-X**

The music in the runway room was blaring loudly as ever. It was almost like being in the Virbank City gym...save for that was several times worse. Elesa was modeling off her usual line of designs when one of the models walked down the catwalk and posed beside her, leaning in to whisper that Katsu had returned. A smirk crossed her features as she followed the model down the runway.

"And it would appear that Ms. Elesa is heading back towards the gym section. Could there be a challenger there waiting? Let's find out!" A man in the crowd called out as everyone clamored to the nearest path to the gym so they could watch.

Elesa walked out onto the gym floor only to see that it was indeed Katsu who had returned. He had a more determined expression on his face than he had previously. He had six Pokeballs on his belt. Five of which were occupied, but she didn't know that yet.

"So, you're back huh? Did you manage to train beforehand?"

"You might say that...Riolu and I did a little extra training. I think you'll come to find he's become quite a bit tougher..." Katsu stated as a stoic gaze fixated itself on his features.

This was something Jay hadn't seen before. This must have meant he was more serious now. Elesa noticed this as well and a smirk crossed her visage.

"You've got good eyes Katsu...I like that look you're giving me. It shows you're serious..."

"Thanks...I do intend to get that badge from you...and I will..." Katsu stated with a serious tone in his voice.

"Let's see if you can put those words into action then."

"This battle is between the Nimbasa City Gym Leader; Elesa and the challenger; Katsu Aiko. This will be a four on four matchup! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the first attack. Ready? Begin!"

"Liepard, let's go!" Katsu called out, leading of with his stealth cat this time.

"A different strategy this time around huh? Alright...Emolga, hit the stage!"

Emolga hovered above the feline, a smirk on her features as she remembered how their fight turned out the last time. It wasn't pretty for Liepard. The stealth cat definitely wanted to get back at the flying rodent.

"Liepard, Fient Attack!"

 _'Then Sucker Punch...'_

"This again? Discharge!"

Katsu smirked at this as he knew that Liepard would have the jump on Emolga this time around. They'd worked out a strategy on the road and put it into motion. It would require precise timing and it was risky. Liepard, as expected, appeared out of stealth, however her body didn't stay in view for long. She'd flickered from view once more and suddenly rammed into Emolga right as she was charging up. The power of the move, combined with the speed did substantial damage to Emolga who barely recovered from it.

"What was that?" Elesa inquired, blinking as she went over it in her mind. Liepard had just poised herself to strike and then vanished once more.

"That...was Sucker Punch...it's an increased priority move. Depending on who acts first will determine what happens. It's all determined by speed...and since Liepard was already moving fairly quickly...well...you can guess what happened..."

"Yes...but when did she-"

"I see you picked up on it now..." Katsu smirked.

"Well...this complicates things a bit. But that's just fine," Elesa smirked.

 **X-X-X**

 _'It seems Katsu's aura is developing even stronger now. That second attack was communicated via telepathy...which is why Emolga was taken off guard. I think I see his strategy here...and it's brilliant...'_

 _'What do you mean Dusk?'_

 _'What I mean Jay, is that he's going to issue out verbal commands...and then give telepathic ones as a quick followup. It's a good strategy and he seems to have worked out a way to do it.'_

 _'That's...incredible...'_

 _'Indeed...'_

 **X-X-X**

"Emolga, use Aerial Ace!"

"Feint Attack!"

 _'Use Night Slash shortly after...'_

Emolga raced in swiftly, her speed giving her an edge as she aimed to clip Liepard on the side. This would have worked, however, Liepard evaded it by a narrow margin with Feint Attack and then connected shortly after with a Night Slash followup that sent the little flying rodent skidding across the ground. Sparks shot off of Liepard's form and she staggered a bit.

"Heh...looks like she's paralyzed. You really had us going with that strategy of yours...but now it's the end of the line for your Liepard...Volt Switch!"

"Sucker Punch!"

Emolga began to power up but right as she was about to launch the blast at Liepard, almost as if she'd lost no speed, Liepard was on Emolga swiftly and dealt a devastating blow to the critter, knocking her to the ground and out cold.

"Emolga is unable to battle! Liepard wins!" The referee declared.

Elesa blinked in astonishment at the result. She hadn't expected Liepard to still be able to move so quickly. Then again...even in paralysis, with a move similar to Quick Attack, the speed is never decreased on the actual move itself. Katsu must have known this and took advantage of how tired Emolga was.

"Well, you did really good there Katsu...but how will you battle...Joltik! Let's go!"

"Liepard, take a breather."

"Darumaka, you're up!"

Darumaka rolled onto the field with his usual antics. Dancing wildly as his inner fire was ignited.

"Joltik, Electroweb!"

"Incinerate to intercept!"

Joltik spat an electrical net towards Darumaka who danced away from it and then opened his mouth, saying his signature line before blasting Joltik with an Incinerate. The Electric/Bug-type was taken aback and took a tumble after the attack connected. Katsu would have tried the strategy with Darumaka, but he seemed a little too hyperactive to even pay much attention to a voice in his mind. He tried practicing it with him but he only went with the initial attack.

"Darumaka, Fire Punch!"

"Electroweb!"

Darumaka channeled the power of the detructive element of fire into his fist as he cocked it back. He then shot it forwards in an attempt to ram into Joltik. The little bug was able to avoid it quick enough and fired off an Electroweb, its compound ability giving the accuracy a boost. The web made a connection and trapped Darumaka inside, giving him a jolt.

"Now...Volt Switch!" Joltik powered up and juiced Darumaka with a Volt Switch, electrocuting the little red ball of fire.

Darumaka struggled to get up after the attack he had just taken. As he looked up, Flaffy was now staring him down. He was still tangled in the net at this point in the battle.

"Thunderbolt!"

Flaffy charged the electrical energies of her element into her tail and then sent the current through her body and expelled it outwards, unleasing a punishing amount of electricity towards Darumaka, zapping him within the Electroweb. When the smoke cleared, Darumaka was knocked out.

"And that makes us even..." Elesa smirked.

Katsu said nothing as he returned Darumaka. A faint smile rested on his features as he picked up his next Pokeball.

"Riolu!" Katsu called out.

Riolu appeared in his usual three point stance and rose up to face Flaffy. It was dejavous.

 _'Well...this looks strangely familiar...don't tell me I have to fight the flying squirrel...'_

 _'Nope...Liepard took her down, you're somewhat worry free.'_

 _'I see...and the bug?'_

 _'Didn't go as planned, but it's damaged. Darumaka got in a good incinerate and damaged it enough to make a difference. The job will be finished later...'_

 _'I see...good enough...I guess I deal with the sheep again?'_

 _'Yep...'_

 _'Joy...'_

"Flaffy, Thunderbolt!"

 _'Extreme Speed, then use Vacuum Wave...'_

Flaffy gathered the power of electricity into her tail and it began to glow brightly. The current went through her body and then outwards as she shot a thunderous blast towards Riolu. With very little difficulty, Riolu dodged the blast with it's newest attack and retaliated with a powerful Vacuum Wave. The blast connected with force and sent Flaffy stumbling backwards.

 _'So he's faster now huh? This could get problematic...now I see why he wanted Emolga out of the way first...it was so that he could freely use his Riolu without worry of his weakness...not bad Katsu...not bad...'_

"Flaffy, use Discharge!"

 _'Extreme Speed...then Vacuum Wave at close range...'_

As the Discharge exploded in the arena, Riolu made haste towards Flaffy, dodging bolts of lightning that were expelled outwards from her body. Riolu then appeared a few inches from Flaffy and whirled his arms about and fired off a Vacuum Wave at point blank range. Riolu landed as Flaffy flew backwards and flopped over after taking such a close ranged and high powered assault.

"Flaffy is unable to battle! Riolu wins!"

"I gotta hand it to you Katsu, this is going much better for you than it was last time. But...I'm afraid you're still far from being able to get a badge from me. Joltik! Let's go!"

The Electric/Bug-type appeared onto the field once more, electricity sparking from its body as it stared at Riolu.

 _'We don't have the threat of static anymore...so feel free to connect with Extreme Speed...'_

 _'Got it...'_

With that, Riolu vanished from sight, his movements nearly untraceable, save for one problem.

"Electroweb!"

The compound eyes ability of Joltik seemed to allow it to fire even the most difficult attacks with increased accuracy. As Riolu appeared before Joltik, it fired off an electrical net and shocked Riolu quite harshly.

"Thundershock!"

Riolu struggled to get out of the net but was soon lit into by a powerful blast of electricity. From the constant shock of the net that had him captured and the electricity arcing through his body, the little bipdeal canine could hardly take what was being dished out. He fell over and struggled to get up.

"End this with X-Scissor..."

Joltik darted forwards and powered into Riolu with an X-Scissor. Riolu took a tumble and passed out.

"Riolu is unable to battle! Joltik wins!"

Katsu sighed softly as he returned Riolu. He didn't want to show his hand just yet. It wasn't the proper time yet.

"Liepard! You're up!"

Liepard surged forth onto the battle field, wincing a little as a spark of electricity shook her stance a bit. She was having enough trouble as it was with what was happening now. Joltik was injured but then again, Liepard was paralyzed, and Joltik knew X-Scissor. And that's when it occurred to him. None of her Pokemon had any quick moves. Sucker Punch would have the advantage in this case.

"Come on Katsu! You can do it!" Jay cheered, standing up at this point. She didn't want to just sit there idly and watch. She wanted to let Katsu know that she was rooting for him all the way.

Katsu turned to look at Jay with an astonished expression. This was the first time she'd done this. It surprised him. So far, things weren't looking all that great. And yet...he wasn't worried anymore. Thanks to Jay, he had renewed confidence and was going to pour it all into this battle. He and his team were going to seize victory. He would not be denied that chance!

"Joltik, Electroweb!"

"Feint Attack!"

Liepard tried to move but her paralysis caused her to remain rooted where she stood. The web caught her which wasn't a good thing. As soon as the web touched her fur she was jolted with several volts of electricity. She staggered to a stand after being knocked over from the attack. Sparks of electricity coming off of her as she growled at the little bug.

"Thundershock!"

Joltik powered up once more and lit into Liepard who once again was immobile. Liepard wasn't able to take much more damage at this point. She soon flopped over from the constant jolting and fainted.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Joltik wins!" The referee declared.

A smirk dawned on Elesa's face as she figured she had this match in the bag.

"Well, it looks like you're going to have to come back again. Your Rufflet isn't going to be able to get past my Joltik...it's been fun, but this is where it will end."

A soft laugh escaped Katsu's lips as he returned Liepard.

"Great job my friend...you did your best, now it's time to let your new friend finish what he started..."

A smirk crossed Katsu's lips as he grabbed his final Pokemon. He then dawned a determined expression as he enlargened the ball.

"Elesa, I told you once and I will tell you again. I am getting that badge...and this last teammate that I have is going to finish what the others started. So I hope you're ready!" Katsu called out as he fired the Pokeball onto the field.

Instead of the shiny Rufflet she admired, she got something that filled her with massive worry. Standing across from her Joltik was the bane of every Electric-type's existance. Excadril stood there confidently, looking over the Joltik with mild curiosity. This was a what she couldn't do much against. Not only was he immune to electrical attacks, but Excadrill resisted everything else Joltik had. This was not good.

"Alright partner...let's show them the drill! Drill Run!"

"Dodge it quickly and use X-Scissor!"

Excadrill got the jump on Joltik due to his superior speed. He clasped his claws and head blade together and launched himself at Joltik, spinning like a drill before delivering a devastating blow to the little bug, knocking it out instantly. Excadrill landed and retracted his claws from his head, turning to look at his handiwork.

"Joltik is unable to battle! Excadrill wins!" The model referee stated.

 _'He only just got Excadrill...and already they work so well together...maybe it was the battle he had with Riolu that made him stronger...'_

 _'I believe so...Katsu seems to have a gift for this sort of thing. It's wonderful to see it used in the right way...Jay,'_ Dusk smiled.

Elesa recalled her Joltik and smirked at Katsu.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to have an Excadrill. I must say I'm surprised. You've shocked me you might say. This must have been what you meant when you said you trained. But this match still isn't over yet. Zebstrika, let's go!"

Zebstrika stormed onto the battlefield, stamping her hooves as she stared down her opposition. Excadrill turned towards the worthy foe and let out a battle cry as he spun his claws.

"Zebstrika, use Flame Charge!"

"Dig!"

Zebstrika began to stomp her hooves repeatedly as fire built up around her. She was soon consumed in an armor of fire and went racing off towards Excadrill. As she got closer, Excadrill leapt up and spun towards the ground, drilling into the arena floor. The arena began to shake under Excadrill's power as he barrled through the earth beneath them. Several onlookers watched as Zebstrika stopped in her tracks.

Quite few others in the audience were recording this epic rematch.

"Zebstrika, wait for it to come up, then hit it with Flame Charge and follow it up with Stomp!"

Katsu followed Excadrill's path underground with his Aura Sight. Excadrill was drilling through the earth at approximately double the speeds it had when it was a Drilbur. This, if it connected...was going to be nasty. Excadrill bursted out of the ground at intense speeds only for his assault to be dodged by Zebstrika's superior speed. She charged forwards, cloaked in flames only for her assault to be stopped by by Excadrill blocking her advance with his massive claws.

Excadrill winced slightly as the searing flames enveloped his claws but he did not falter. Zebstrika was caught in place and wasn't able to do much of anything at this point.

"Excadrill, use Hone Claws!"

Excadrill's claws began to shimmer as though they were being sharpened by an unknown force. Since Zebstrika was in his hold, there wasn't much she could do about it.

"Now use Drill Run!"

"Zebstrika, get out of the way and use Flame Charge again!"

Excadrill leapt back and clamped his claws against his head blade and spun forwards at top speeds, his strength increased after the stat boost. Zebstrika was easily able to avoid it with the increased speeds of Flame Charge and raced forwards and rammed herself into Excadrill, sending him crashing into the gym floor. He'd just taken a hit from his weakness, but he was able to get up and shake it off. He had quite a bit of stamina and could take some heavy damage. His secondary Steel-typing gave him a bit of a defensive advantage as well. Taking damage wasn't going to be too much of an issue, however...he needed to work around that Zebstrika's insane speed.

Katsu thought for a moment. There had to be a way around it. An idea soon occurred to him that made sense. During that time when Zebstrika was locked with Excadrill, she wasn't able to push against his strength. Zebstrika was physically strong but Excadrill had the upper hand when it came to raw power. He was somewhat fast but wouldn't be able to keep up with Zebstrika. There HAD to be a way. And then it dawned on him. He remembered Excadrill's ability. It was Sand Rush. And if he remembered correctly, Sand Storm was in the move pool after he had picked up the TM. He'd made Excadrill forget Metal Claw since he could just power up with Hone Claws underground if he needed to.

There was his answer. A smirk crossed Katsu's visage as he looked at Excadrill.

"Sandstorm!"

 _'This is bad!'_ Elesa thought frantically.

Excadrill let out a battle cry as Sandstorm whipped up around him and began to blow around the arena. Zebstrika was blasted in the face by the storm and slid back due to the intensity of it.

"Now...let's fight for real Excadrill, use Drill Run!"

"Dodge and use Flame Charge!"

Excadrill clasped its claws and head blade together once more and went spinning off towards Zebstrika. Since it's normal drill speed was at around 60 miles per hour, out here where it met little to no resistance and with the help of Sandstorm coupled with Sand Rush, Excadrill's speed doubled. Zebstrika, as fast as she was, still tried to shake the sand from her eyes. Before she could even move after powering up her attack, she was rammed into, full force by a powered up Drill Run attack. The resulting force sent her flying backwards into the far wall, smacking harshly against it before collapsing in a heap on the floor, knocked out.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Excadrill is the winner, which means Katsu Aiko gets the victory!" The model referee declared.

"He won...he...he won! Yes!" Jay shouted excitedly, jumping up and down with joy. She didn't care if she looked awkward at that point, she was happy as all get-out.

Excadrill walked up to Katsu and smiled. Katsu rubbed Excadrill's head lightly and then turned to face Elesa who was now walking up to him as well. Jay

"I must say, that is the quickest I've ever seen anyone improve. You certainly threw me for a loop. Your tactic worked really well. Threw me off entirely. I gotta hand it to you, I was not expecting any of that. And your Excadrill, where did you get him? He's got to be as strong as Clay's..."

"Whose?"

"Oh...right...you don't know. Clay is the Gym Leader of Driftveil City. He's also got an Excadrill who is astonishingly strong. The power of your Pokemon is something else Katsu," Elesa smirked.

"Thanks...yours are incredible as well. You really wrecked me the first time...but I learned from those mistakes...as for where I got Excadrill, I met him as a Drilbur this afternoon. He evolved in his battle with Riolu and thus...Excadrill is here."

"I see...there's only one place I know of that has Drilbur...Clay mentioned it once. Relic Passage right?"

"Yep...fresh out of there and battle ready."

"I see, and he's already in sync with you. Amazing."

Jay smiled softly as she walked over to Katsu. Gen and Dusk remained invisible while Rif floated around her.

"I couldn't have found him on my own. I have Jay here to thank for this victory as well as my Pokemon. Jay helped me forget my worries yesterday. She turned my saddened state into joy and made me laugh. And after our fun day at the carnival, the next day she lead me to Relic Passage which is where I caught Excadrill. I owe her a lot for this..." Katsu smiled back at Jay who blushed profusely, no sure what to say to all of that.

She simply slid beside Katsu, almost half behind him so she could still be seen. She then hid her face so she could calm her fast beating heart. Elesa couldn't help but find this utterly adorable. She smiled gently and then turned back to Katsu.

"Well, to commemorate your victory here at the Nimbasa City Gym, I award you with the Bolt Badge!" Elesa said as she handed Katsu the badge which was in the shape of a bolt of lightning.

Katsu smiled and took the badge, placing it alongside his badges in his case. The four badges shined as they were revealed. He'd finally gotten the bolt badge. It took some doing, but he managed.

"Now...there's one more thing I'd like to ask you..."

"And what's that?" Katsu replied.

"Can we have picture with you?!" The models said in unison.

Katsu blinked slightly at this. Then again, he figured that almost all of Unova had seen his movie by now so none of this should come as a surprise to him at all. He sighed and turned towards Jay.

"Sure...but only if she can be in it too." Katsu smiled.

"Wouldn't want to leave someone so important out would we?" Elesa chuckled.

And with much difficulty, Gen and Dusk were able to get Jay into taking the picture with Katsu with Elesa and the models posing in the background. After that moment of discomfort, Jay and Katsu left the Nimbasa City Gym waving goodbye to Elesa and her models. It was getting late. They needed some rest.

"Hey...Katsu?"

"What's up Jay?"

"Errrm...d-did you really mean all of that stuff back there? I know you've said it before but-"

Once more, her speech was stopped as he placed a finger to it. A soft smile crossed his lips as he spoke.

"Yes, I meant every word of it. What you did impacted me greatly. I will treasure the past two days for the rest of my life Jay...you have my gratitude for what you've done for me. So...once again...thank you..." Katsu smiled softly.

"Katsu...I...well...never mind...um...you're welcome..." Jay smiled, hugging him tightly once before walking into the Pokemon Center with him.

 _'And she missed her chance...AGAIN.'_

 _'Calm down Gen, she'll make her move when the time is right. She is struggling inwardly right now and admitting her feelings for him is very difficult for her. She's never had someone like Katsu in her life and while she likes the feeling...she's conflicted on telling him for fear he might reject her...we already know that won't be the case...but she doesn't...'_

 _'Shouldn't we tell her?'_

 _'No...that's something she should find out on her own...it will be much more meaningful that way...and their relationship will blossom...'_

 _'I see...good point there Dusk...'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu sighed softly as he fell back onto his bed. The battle ran through his mind for a little while. He had almost lost it for a second, but then he remembered Jay was right there. She'd been there through the previous battles and was there when it counted. He dedicated that victory to her. She deserved it. His team did too. Riolu, Liepard, even the crazy little Darumaka who was a complete Spazz, they all deserved it. He couldn't take any of the credit for that victory. Had Jay not taken him to the carnival, he wouldn't have gotten out of his slump. And even if he did, he probably wouldn't have gone to Relic Passage and met Excadrill.

Jay had helped him out so much it was beyond real. At first, she was an awkward young girl a year shy of him. But gradually...and lately, she'd become a great friend and now? He was starting to think of her as _more_ than that. He was beginning to realize something. He liked her. He didn't know when or what it was that made him realize it, probably because he was too tired to think at the moment, but he knew he liked her. And he wanted to show that to her somehow. She'd done too much for him not to return the favor. Sighing contentedly and with a smile on his face, he fell fast asleep, a warm feeling in his heart. And no...it wasn't just because of the Darumaka sleeping against him.

 **X-X-X**

Jay was also thinking about the fight. About how she called out to Katsu and cheered him on. She never used to do that. And yet...she did it for him. She cheered him on and was confident about it. These past few days, for the first time in a long time, she felt more confident. Sure...she still got nervous around him. Who wouldn't? Just look at him! The very thought of him caused her face to get hot. She plopped onto her mattress and groaned cutely.

"Why is this so hard?!" She said with a slightly raised voice. She sighed and turned her head to the side.

Her eyes met with the stamp collection she'd been given. That one gesture of kindness made her feel things she never thought possible. Was it finally happening? Was she finally finding someone she wanted to be with? She couldn't say for sure, but she wanted to find out, and she was determined to do so. With that thought, she smiled as she fell asleep, the thought of him being her last one before she drifted into dreamland.

 **Whew! My word my fingers hurt! This is hands down my longest one. x.x Anyway! -Flails hands- How was it? Did you enjoy it? I hope so! It was a long one but I rather loved writing it. JayKat for life! Anyway, so Katsu has his fourth badge! Woot! Woot! And it's all thanks to Jay! The awkward cute-as-heck little Jay helped him through a tough spot. That was exactly what he needed. I hope everyone liked this chapter because I'm going to bed now! x.x Tomorrow there will be a few more coming out so stay tuned to see what happens next on Icy Wrath!**


	17. Chapter 17

**It's another beautiful -early- morning! Aloha everyone! Last chapter was a long one wasn't it? I know...my fingers were aching after that. _ I'm all better now though. Which is why I'm going to be pumping out a few more chapters today. I hope you all are ready for it! So tell me, what did you all think of the next chapter? Katsu's certainly going to have an interesting mix of teammates later on isn't he? So, we haven't seen much of Team Plasma in a while. Don't worry, I'll get to that. I haven't forgotten about our dastardly villains. As I previously mentioned, I'm going to be switching things up a little here. You'll notice it pretty soon! Anyway, shall we get things rolling? Alright, let's go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 17: Hugh's Ambition**

Surprisingly, Hugh was back in Nimbasa City. He wanted to see how Katsu and the other girl, Jay, were doing since they were taking so long. Katsu usually was good at keeping up, if not forging ahead. So what kept him? There was one other reason why he was back in the city. Rumor had it that some strange people were lurking about in Nimbasa and he could not pass up the opportunity to check things out. He hadn't battled Clay since he didn't go directly to Driftveil City. He was actually training for several days in Lostlorn Forest. His goal to get stronger was like consuming fire and he would reach it at any cost.

Three of his Pokemon had evolved. Patrat was now a Watchog, and Pidove was now a Tranquil and Dewott was still Dewott. He also had a Simisear with him. He ws also somewhat tired at this point. It was mid-morning in Nimbsa City. He'd been camping out in Lostlorn for the past couple of days. There was something odd about that forest though. He couldn't put his finger on it but he could have sworn he was being followed. A sigh escaped his lips as he sat down at a local cafe. Across from him, surprisingly enough, was Alice.

Somehow, the two had met up after their departure in Virbank City. Alice was just passing through Nimbasa after claiming her badge. On her was now a Flaffy, Servine, Herdier and a new addition to the party, Krokorok. Herdier, being no bigger than Riolu, was still small enough that Alice could hold him in her arms. She looked over at Hugh, seeing a rather faraway look in his eyes. Something was obviously on his mind.

"So...how've you been doing?"

"Alright I guess...how about you Alice? I see you're getting stronger too. When did you catch that Krokorok?"

"Huh? Oh, he was just a little Sandile after I got out of Castelia City. I picked him up at a daycare that my father sends Pokemon to on occasion. After a long process, I finally got what I wanted. I knew that Elesa would use Electric-types. I couldn't walk into a battle ill-prepared could I?"

"I suppose not. It took me a while to come up with a strategy that would work against her. So I trained against as many as I could before battling her. And as you can see...Simisear here, is the reason I won that bout."

"Oh really? He must be pretty strong because last I checked, you have two types that would get hammered by Elesa," Alice smirked.

"I know...but I worked around that. I worked in a switch-out strategy to keep Elesa on her toes. Also...Simisear knows Dig and Rock Tomb...I think you can figure out how it turned out."

"Indeed...you made up for the lack of a ground type by having Simisear fill in. I have to say you're doing well for yourself Hugh. Perhaps you wouldn't object to a little spar would you?"

"Come again?"

"Well, I am curious to see how far you've come. You talk a big game Hugh, but there's a little something you need to do in the process."

"And what's that?"

"Put your words into action...you say you'll get stronger. And that's a good goal to have...but is that your only ambition? You go after Team Plasma with reckless abandon. And though I've agreed to help you, but I want to see just how far you've come first. Show me what all this training has done for you, Hugh."

Hugh thought about it for a moment. He remembered their first battle and how quickly it all ended. The power of her Snivy back then was already unbelievable. Now it was evolved which further complicated things. Her Mareep was now a Flaffy and more powerful. Then there was Herdier...a problem in itself. And now a Krokorok. As if he needed to be countered three times on his team. But this would give him an opportunity to see how far he'd come. Should he take it? The steel resolve in his eyes shone brightly as he gave Alice a determined look. Without a word, the two trainers got up and made their way to an open space where they could battle.

They stepped out in front of Gear Station and faced each other. Hugh's mind ran through her core strategies. He didn't know what it was with Herdier or the Krokorok yet, but he was certain he could get around the other two. He just had to find a way to do so. But who would be his first pick?

"Ladies first..."

"Glad to know you at least know that rule Hugh, now let's get started. Herdier, Work Up!"

The excited canine leapt from Alice's arms and landed on the battlefield. His face was now fixed into a confident expression, unlike what Hugh had seen before. She must have trained it really well for it to boast the confidence it did. If he remembered correctly, as a Lillipup, Herdier didn't do so well. This however, seemed like a completely different ball game. Hugh had to think carefully about this one. She'd started it with a stat boost already so there was that to deal with as well.

"Watchog, you're up! Use Hyper Fang!"

The larger meerkat leapt onto the battlefield. Watchog looked like a taller version of Patrat only now he had a slightly different coloration to his fur and his tail was longer. He wasted no time rushing towards Herdier, his mouth open, ready to take a bite out of Herdier. Alice was waiting for a few moments longer until Watchog got in closer.

"Take Down!" Alice said as Watchog got close.

Herdier avoided the Hyper Fang by a narrow margin as Watchog's jaws tried to clamp down on him. Taking the opportunity, Herdier rammed head-on into Watchog, sending the meerkat skidding back from the force of the blow. Herdier winced as he took some recoil damage from the attack, but it was all for the better. Watchog stared back at Herdier with a frustrated expression. Herdier kept his cool as he crouched low.

"Watchog, use Low Kick!"

"Avoid it and use Take Down again!"

Watchog rushed towards the charging Herdier, hellbent on thrashing the jumpy little canine. He spun around and kicked downwards at the canines feet, only for Herdier to leap upwards and slam hard into him. Herdier flattened Watchog who slowly got up after that attack. Herdier winced at the pain from the recoil damage, but other than that he was doing alright. Both of them were looking a little tired at this point.

"Watchog, use Crunch!"

"Let it hit and use Reversal!"

Watchog dove after Herdier, jaws open as he closed in on him. With a sickening crunch he clamped down onto the side of the canine who let out a loud yelp. This, however, did not deter him from the fight. He knew he was injured from the few recoils that he took, but there was an upside to that. A powerful orange aura circled around Herdier which spelled big trouble for Watchog. Herdier threw Watchog off of him and powered into the meerkat with devastating force, causing Watchog to fly back and slam into the ground hard. Watchog was knocked out cold.

 _'As expected...she's good. That Herdier's no joke...'_

"Well Hugh, what's next? Not giving up already are you?" Alice smirked.

 _'She's so smug...I'd love to wipe that grin off her face...and I'll do that right here...'_

"Simisear, let's go!"

"Herdier, return," Alice said as she recalled her excitable little friend.

"Servine, your time to shine!"

Hugh's eyes popped at this strange switch in. Why didn't she send out Krokorok? Was she toying with him? Or did she actually make a mistake? Mistake or not, he was going to capitalize on this opportunity to take out that grass serpent. A smirk rested on Alice's features as she looked over at Hugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, just trying something new, though it would appear...I've made a blunder...what will you do with it?"

 _'Okay...what's she planning? She's way too smart of a battler to send out a grass type against a fire type on purpose. She would have been better off using Krokorok. Something's fishy.'_

"Simisear, Flamethrower!"

"Avoid it and use Vine Whip to grab it!"

Simisear loosed a powerful stream of fire in Servine's direction, however due to the speed of the serpent, Servine was able to easily avoid the oncoming heat. She then whipped around and shot her vines towards Simisear, catching him around the ankles.

"Now, pull him towards you and use Aqua Tail!"

 _'What?!'_ Hugh thought with alarm.

Servine reeled Simisear in with her vines. She then began to generate aquatic energies that flowed within her body and into her tail. Her tail soon cloaked itself in water as she swung around and slammed her tail into Simisear with devastating force. Simisear smacked hard into the ground. Servine still had a grip on Simisear who glared up at Servine.

"Flame Burst, now!"

"Energy Ball to counter!"

Simisear gathered flames into his mouth and spewed them out swiftly at Servine who retaliated by launching an energy ball to dispel the blast.

"Throw it and use Leaf Tornado!"

Servine heaved Simisear off the ground and flung him high and far, making it difficult for Simisear to be able to work up the concentration for an attack. She then spun around, gathering nature's power to do her bidding as leaves kicked up all around her. She then fired a tornado of leaves towards Simisear. The power of the attack tore across the ground and the sharp leaves cut into Simisear as the tornado spun him in circles and flung him back towards Servine, landing with a thud in front of her. The impact from the attack as well as the landing caused him great pain. He struggled to get up but it just wasn't in him. He was nearly out of stamina.

"Aqua tail..."

Servine cloaked her tail in powerful aquatic energies and then slammed it into Simisear with crushing force. The resulting blow left Simisear thoroughly concussed. Hugh couldn't believe his eyes. Servine had outwitted and outdone Simisear inspite of his weakness. She'd taught her Servine some new tricks it seemed. This was not going to be an easy fight. So far two of his four were down for the count and he'd only managed to injure one of them.

Hugh recalled his companion and faced Servine with a nervous look on his face. How was she so powerful? He'd been training for weeks on end and yet the difference between him and her was mind-boggling. He knew what his next choice had to be. He reached for his Pokeball and threw Tranquil onto the field.

"Tranquil, let's go!"

Tranquil spread his wings and flew high above the field. Servine stared up at Tranquil with a smirk, even though she had a disadvantage, she was confident in her abilities and in her trainer.

"Tranquil, Aerial Ace!"

"Servine, grab it with Vine Whip!"

Tranquil dove in towards Servine, expertly dodging around the vines that were loosed upon him. He managed to reach Servine before she could retract the vines and plowed into her viciously. Servine was sent flying and tumbled a few times before righting herself onto her feet. Tranquil definitely had the upper-hand here. So why didn't Alice return her? What was her plan?

"Servine use Energy Ball!"

"Tranquil, Aerial Ace again!"

Tranquil dove downwards, accelerating towards her target as he rode the winds. His eyes gleamed with confidence as he barrel rolled out of the way of an Energy Ball and closed the distance between him, slamming hard into Servine with brute force, flattening the grass serpent. Servine wasn't able to get up easily after that, but then again, Alice wasn't using her usual strategy.

"Quick Attack to end it!"

"Use Leaf Tornado!"

Tranquil surged forwards once more, accelerating due to the increased speed He'd been given by the order. A twister of leaves was blasted his way. He managed to get around most of it, only to be hit by few sharp leaves which threw his trajectory off by a slight margin, however it wasn't enough to shake him off course. He rammed into Servine and knocked him out flat. Alice returned Servine without much of a word and smirked.

"Alright Herdier, your turn again!" Alice smiled as she returned her Servine.

Something didn't seem right. After what she'd done to Simisear, something told him that she was either making mistakes or just wasn't trying with Servine...or maybe it was something else all together. And now she had Herdier back out? He was already injured, so what was the point? He didn't care at this point, he was going to even the score.

"Tranquil, use Quick Attack!"

Tranquil rocketed into battle, his wings spread wide as he accelerated towards towards Herdier who wasn't given any orders yet. Tranquil's wing was still injured which threw off his speed a little. As he got closer, his eyes made contact with Herdier's who was growling at him. He sweat-dropped as he got closer, nearly closing the distance as he felt some strength leave him.

"Retaliate!"

Tranquil was not prepared for what was about to happen to it. Herdier began to glow with azure aura before lashing out at Tranquil with lethal force. Both combatants collided however, while Herdier was only sent skidding back. Tranquil dropped to the ground in a heap. The bird struggled to get up but was having a difficult time of it. Tranquil wasn't knocked out, but it certainly was close to flopping over.

"Finish this up with Reversal!"

Herdier dashed off towards the struggling Tranquil and whipped around and kicked out his hind legs, knocking the Flying-type away with a powered up attack which caused him to fly backwards and slam into the ground. Herdier walked away as Hugh recalled Tranquil.

"Good job Tranquil...I'm sorry my friend..." Hugh sighed as he picked up Dewott's Pokeball.

"It's up to you now...partner..." Hugh said as he looked down at Dewott.

"Dewott! Let's do this!"

Dewott immerged onto the field, taking a confident stance. His gaze met Herdier's. However, it appeared that Alice had different plans for Dewott.

"Herdier, rest up sweetie!" Alice said as she returned Herdier.

"Krokorok, you're up!"

 _'Now she brings him out? This doesn't make any sense...why would she use him when he's clearly at a disadvantage? No matter...Dewott has the edge for sure."_

"Dewott, use Aqua Jet!"

"Wait for it, then use Thunder Fang!"

Dewott cloaked himself in water as he launched towards Krokorok. This was a big mistake on his part. Krokorok's teeth crackled with electricity as he opened his mouth. His teeth glowed with electrical energy and right as Dewott got close, he clamped his jaw down onto Dewott as he avoided the oncoming assault. Dewott was jolted with several volts of electricity. Due to it being cloaked in water and being weak to electricity, the damage was heavy. Fortunately, Dewott didn't faint at that moment. Krokorok wasn't an Electric-type, so the power behind it wasn't as strong. If he had been, that would have been game over for Dewott.

The otter got up and struggled to keep himself up. He was running very low on stamina and it wasn't looking too good for him. What was he going to do?

"Dewott, Razor Shell!"

"Let it hit..."

Dewott rushed towards Krokorok, his shell powered by aquatic energies which extended into a blade of sorts. Krokorok did nothing but stand there. He didn't even attempt to avoid it. Was she really going to let him take an attack like that? Dewott lashed out at Krokorok and bashed him in the head with a super-effective Razor Shell. Krokorok stumbled backwards, gripping his head in pain.

"Payback..."

As Dewott turned around, Krokorok began to glow with a dark violet aura. Suddenly, Krokorok lashed out at Dewott with a massive boost in strenght. The move itself doubled in power and Krokorok punished Dewott for getting so close. His claws drove Dewott into the ground and then pinned him.

"Thunder Fang!"

There was nothing Dewott could do. The fangs closed in and an explosion rang out throughout the area. Dust cleared, revealing a knocked out Dewott.

"I don't get it," Hugh sighed as he returned his partner to his ball.

"What's not to get? You lost to me again. I'm just better...it's as simple as that..."

"Yeah but...I've been training my Pokemon through many tough situations and they were able to take on the gym and win, in spite of my disadvantages, they won. So why is it that you seem so much stronger? And what's with your Pokemon? How come they know so many moves they don't learn normally?"

A sigh escaped Alice's lips as she turned to face Hugh.

"Due to my status as a star in films as well as the daughter of someone who works in that industry, it comes with perks. If I want TM's I _get_ TM's. If I want to have a Sandile bred to cover most of his weaknesses, I _get_ a Sandile bred to cover all his weaknesses...but don't think I don't work hard to get it. I train daily with my Pokemon. We know we will face others that will put us at a disadvantage so we work to cover that. The evidence was enough with your Simisear and Dewott..."

"So you get what you want...just because you're spoiled?

"I wouldn't quite put it that way...I'm not spoiled. I may have money, and I may be pretty well known, but that doesn't mean I'm spoiled. I work for what I want I don't just get it handed to me..." Alice smirked.

"I see...that's why you seem so powerful. Your Pokemon have learned strong moves to compensate for their weaknesses...Alice, I want to train more with you. I _have_ to become stronger. I can't afford not to. I don't want to let my sister down..."

Alice offered a faint smile. She could tell he'd significantly improved since the last time they'd fought. His strategies were getting better. And he had a good reason for doing what he did. He and Katsu were both admirable individuals. Alice could see how much Hugh wanted to get stronger. The determination was evident in his eyes and that was what made her decide to help him.

"Well, since you asked so nicely. I'll help you more often. Whenever you feel you're ready to spar, talk to me any time. And to make sure you are able to, I'm opting to travel with you."

"You are?" Hugh blinked.

"Yep...if it's not too much trouble that is. Though be warned, I may be called away from time to time. But if you ever need me, you know what to do. You've got Katsu and I in your contacts so it won't be too hard to get help...speaking of which...I heard he was here. I wonder if he still is..."

Almost as if on queue, the doors to the Pokemon Center near them opened up and out walked Katsu and Jay.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay made their way out of the Pokemon Center, Jay listening to her music as usual and Katsu giving a shoulder ride to Riolu and Rufflet. He felt something tap his shoulder. He looked over at Riolu who was now pointing towards Hugh and Alice who were looking directly at him.

"Well I'll be...hey you two!" Katsu laughed, stopping in his tracks as he faced them.

Alice and Hugh both walked up to him. Alice had Herdier in her arms and Hugh had nobody out at the moment since they'd just battled.

"Well, we meet again Katsu. Jay. It's good to see you both," Alice said with a giggle.

"Oi, Katsu. What took you so long to get here? I'd been here and gotten the badge already and was even here for a few more days after that. I thought you would have caught up to me by now..."

"Sorry about that Hugh, I got a little hung up..." Katsu chuckled.

"Hung up huh? With her you mean?" Alice teased.

Jay blushed hotly and simply looked down at her feet, shuffling them cutely as she said nothing. She'd turned the music off so she could speak with her friends. They were her friends...right? Gen and Dusk exchanged looks at Alice's teasing.

 _'She's interesting...'_

 _'Isn't she that movie star chick?'_

 _'Yes...her name is Alice...if I recall correctly Gen...'_

 _'Hmmm...she teases but she appears to mean well. If I understand this correctly, Katsu traveled with Alice and Hugh before he met up with our dear Jay...'_

 _'This could be good Dusk.'_

 _'Perhaps...this would mean more friends for Jay which would increase her happiness exponentially. This is good, this is very good...'_

 _'And get a load of the body on that girl...talk about alluring...'_

 _'Gen...how many times have I told you not to stare? It's rude...'_

 _'It doesn't count if she can't seeeee meeee...'_ Gen said in a singsong voice.

 _'Sometimes...I wonder how we came to be brothers...'_

 _'It was fate Dusk...it was fate...'_

 **X-X-X**

"So...wait...you managed to get a picture with Elesa? Huh, she asked me for an autograph oddly enough..." Alice snickered.

"Yeah...that was after the second battle. Her and her models were fans."

"I see, and Jay looks so cute in the picture! She's being all shy."

Jay grumbled in the most adorable manner possible as she was being talked about. Katsu simply chuckled and glanced back at Jay.

"It's alright Jay, it's just Alice being Alice...she may be a little vain at times but she can be nice..."

"Well, I wouldn't say that I'm v-wait...Katsu...you called me that before didn't you?"

"Did I? I can't remember..." Katsu smirked, lying clearly.

"Watch your step Katsu...otherwise you might fall into a trap you can't get yourself out of...' Alice muttered.

"Bite me?"

"Is that an invitation?"

Hugh rolled his eyes and shook his head at Katsu and Alice. He swore they were related sometimes, the way they bantered back and forth. He wouldn't be shocked if they were, but he knew that wasn't the case.

"Anyway, you two...listen...this is important," Hugh said as he got their attention.

"What's up Hugh?"

"Team Plasma...word has it there have been some shady characters seen here in Nimbasa City. I have no idea where, but I have this feeling that they are..."

"I see...well, we probably shouldn't waste too much time then. I had a feeling there was more than one reason Jay and I stayed behind. Any idea where they were last seen?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, I-I have a suggestion... Nimbasa is known for its many activities and there are quite a lot we haven't done. So I think that maybe...while we keep a lookout for Team Plasma, we go to a football game?"

"That's a good idea Jay!" Alice exclaimed.

Katsu smiled softly back at Jay, giving her a silent 'thank you' for the suggestion. He wasn't sure how they would go about it, but Jay seemed to have a handle on things.

"That's a good plan...sports are big here in Nimbasa City and events like that attract all sorts of people and there are a lot of Pokemon as well...Team Plasma would be all over that..."

Katsu looked back at Hugh. His entire life up until this point was spent figuring out how to get his sister's Purrloin back and also bring down Team Plasma. He understood his pain as he knew how horrible Team Plasma was. They'd tried to kill him at one point. Fortunately, Liepard was able to get there in time and tear their Pokemon apart. Hugh was still caught up in stopping them. He didn't blame him though.

"So, do we all agree?" Katsu said aloud.

Everyone nodded in unison and then got up to go look for a schedule for the games. Tickets were sold at the gate for those who weren't able to get them ahead of time according to the schedule they found. They all sat down and worked out which game to attend. They all agreed to go in the evening since that was going to be a good time to watch out for them. It was practically the perfect time to strike. People would be exhausted, and the players in the stadium would be preoccupied.

 **X-X-X**

"So...is everything ready for tonight?"

"Of course my lord Ghetsis...Nimbasa City has no idea what is to be upon it in the coming hours..."

Ghetsis grinned deviously as he leaned on his cane, looking over at one of the Shadow Triad.

"And are _they_ ready as well?"

"Of course... _they_ are always ready..."

"Good...we will deploy them once the time is ripe. Tonight...chaos will rain upon that stadium...prepare our units..."

"Right away lord Ghetsis..."

 **And that's that! So how did everyone like this chapter? I wanted to make a battle between Hugh and Alice since nobody actually got to see one in the beginning. This is going to be the difference between the two for quite a while. Alice may be a bit vain but she can back up her claims. Though you have to admit, she's spoiled isn't she? And now there's a problem to deal with. Nimbasa City is a target! Time for something different from the game once more! I hope you're ready for my rendition on what should go down in that city. Find out in the next chapter of Icy Wrath!"**


	18. Chapter 18

**Aloha all you people! How's it hangin'? So yeah, it's time for another chapter. Woot! I decided to do something a little different from the game as usual. Last chapter I took a bit of time to bring Alice and Hugh back into focus. Since our lovely JayKat ship has hogged the spotlight for the past few chapters, although I have no qualms with keeping it that way, I decided to let Hugh and Alice have a turn. At some point, each of them will have a chapter to themselves. Also, heads up, incoming new OC! Supplied by one of my reviewers. He will show up a few times in this story. I don't have much information on him BUT I will make sure to figure out exactly what he will look like and all that good stuff. He sorta...reminds me of Trinity from my other fic. -Looks pointedly at the Absol- Anyway let's get this show on the road!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 18: Down. Set. BATTLE!**

Evening was soon upon the Big Stadium in Nimbasa City as everyone was piling into the stadium. Everyone was getting ready for the big game. The two teams were all practicing for the game. The team names were of course, the Zebstrika's and the Excadrills. The two teams were always butting heads. It was an amusing rivalry. Outside the stadium, wearing a blue zip-up vest with with a tank top beneath, as well as white cargos and black shoes, was a young boy around Katsu's age. He had mid-length spiky white locks and had a pixie stick in his mouth. He was leaning against the wall of the stadium beside an Absol who was his companion.

"Looks like it's really filling up today eh buddy?" The boy smirked, watching the crowd going into the stadium.

"I don't think we've ever had anything like this back at home...there's so much stuff to do here...and also...there's _that_ girl..." He thought, his mind drifting back to the battle he'd seen earlier in the day.

 _'The way she commanded her Pokemon...it was impressive. She has near flawless execution when it comes to covering the bases of a Pokemon's weakness...she's a lot tougher looking than most trainers we've met...'_

Abosl simply nodded, the thought of a challenge being quite appealing to the disaster following Pokemon.

"For now, let's focus on what's ahead. I want to see the game. I bought us some pretty good seats so we'll be right where the action is!"

Absol nodded, signifying that he was happy with what his master was saying.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu had been taking a nap when he heard a knock on his door. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, looking over at the door.

"Katsu?" Jay's meek voice called to him.

"Yeah? What's up Jay?"

"Errr...nothing, just checking to see...if you're awake. That's all, the game will be starting in fifteen minutes...everyone is waiting for you..."

"Oh shoot! Have I really been out for that long?" Katsu replied as he hopped off the bed and grabbed his bag and weapons to dart out the door.

He opened it to see Jay wearing something rather cute. It was a white zip-up sweater that was opened to reveal a black v-neck dress that stopped at the knees. She had a white belt going across it and underneath were her black stockings as usual. And of course, her favorite designer boots. Her hair was actually let down this time, revealing that it was actually quite long, about a bit past the shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled softly. She still had her headphones on though, but they were around her neck. It was a nice touch.

Katsu couldn't help but be speechless for the moment. Then he noticed Gen and Dusk exchange glances. Gen was sniggering and Dusk held a chuckle. Just what were those two up to? Katsu also noticed that she had light makeup on and some work was done on her lashes to really bring out the color of her eyes. They were more beautiful than the minerals themselves anyway.

"Wow..."

"Huh? Wow...what?"

"Y-you...you look...I can't even describe it..."

"Oh no...do I look bad?! I'm so sorry, I'll go fix this if I-"

Katsu placed a finger to her lips once more and smiled softly. She always seemed to calm down when he did this. Mainly because it was always right before he was about to say something to calm her down.

"You look beautiful Jay...don't worry about it..." Katsu smiled.

"Th-thank you..." She smiled back, fidgeting with her hands a little.

 _Earlier..._

 _'So...you really think I should dress up tonight?'_

 _'Of course Jay...after all, while I love what you usually where, I think you should wear a little something that accents your figure...don't you think?'_

 _'But...why? It's not like I'm going on a date at the moment...'_

 _'For Katsu maybe? Besides, you will probably be sitting with him at the game right?'_

 _'Gen...one question...'_

 _'Shoot...'_

 _'Exactly WHAT would you have me wear, say I did decide to do it?'_

 _'Ahem...Dusk?'_

Dusk smirked as he opened the closet to unveil an outfit that, with a little help from Alice, he managed to find. He had been following the fashionably dressed young woman around the shops, observing several styles of clothes that she was trying on. He and Gen were both in the shop, invisible when they saw the outfit that was now being looked over by Jay. It practically had her name written all over it when they saw it.

 _'It's...oh my...it's beautiful...but wait...how did you-'_

 _'Long story...long, loooooong story...let's just say that Alice was slightly...traumatized.'_

 _'Yeah...she screamed 'I HEAR VOICES!' You know...kinda like...how you see dead people?'_

 _'Spirits Gen...'_

 _'Same diff..'_

 _'Anyway, we somewhat managed to calm her down...as soon as we mentioned you and Katsu...she was glad for what you did for her friend. So, she wanted to say thanks by giving you this so you can look good for Katsu,'_ Dusk laughed.

 _'I don't even-oh well...it is lovely...and...I...I do want to show Katsu a different me...looks-wise that is...'_

 _'Then it's settled,'_ Gen smirked picking up a magazine to open it up to some pictures of models and makeup.

 _'So...which do you like? This one really brings out your eyes...'_ Gen stated, waggling his brows a bit.

 _'It also brightens your features more...I think you'd look rather lovely..'_

 _'Err...isn't this a bit excessive? We're just going to a game...not a-'_

 _'Date, we know. But, still, who says you can't look stunning?'_

 _'I suppose...now, put it on and we'll help with the makeup...'_ Gen stated as he picked up the eye-liner.

 _'Now...what was this for again?'_

 _End Flashback_

"Well, shall we?" Katsu inquired, letting Rufflet out of his ball along with Riolu.

"Yes...we probably shouldn't keep the others waiting..." Jay smiled.

 **X-X-X**

"Oh. My. Arceus. Jay you look amazing! Arceus I am good..." Alice grinned as she saw how the outfit looked on her.

"Thanks...I-I hope Gen and Dusk didn't cause you too much trouble..."

Alice sweat-dropped at this. She remembered hearing their voices in her head and it freaked her out so much she shouted in the middle of the store. Fortunately the manager wasn't around, though the cashier looked at her awkwardly.

"No harm done...I was glad to help...just...please don't let them make a habit out of doing that, it freaks me out..."

 _'Hi...'_ Gen grinned.

"STOP!" Alice shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth after her outburst. She looked around to see that the nurse wasn't there at the counter and sighed, relieved.

 _'Did you have to do that Gen?'_

 _'What? It's funny...don't be a party pooper Dusk...'_

Dusk simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Anyway, we really ought to head to the stadium or we're going to be late. Hugh decided to take off and head there. He said he'd meet us in our seats. The boy never does wait does he?"

"Nope...he's always been that way..." Katsu chuckled.

"I kinda figured...you're reckless and he's impatient..." Alice moaned.

"And you're egotistical, so we're all one big happy and dysfunctional family," Katsu grinned.

"Touche Katsu...touche..."

 _'I wonder where that leaves me...'_ Jay thought as she looked around at the others.

 _'You've got us...you're just as odd as they are which makes it perfect. You fit right in...'_

 _'You really think I'm odd Gen?'_

 _'Well...you talk to spirits of dead people and Pokemon...and you're psychic. It makes you a perfect match for Katsu actually because he's Aura Adept and also can talk to -any- Pokemon...at least he will be able to once it develops more. So yeah...you totally fit in...'_

 _'I...fit in?'_

Jay took a moment to process that statement. Now that she thought about it. She was with possibly one of the strangest crowds she'd ever met. There was an egotistical fashionista who was a strong trainer. An Aura Adept, of all things, and he had a _shiny_ Rufflet and used swords on top of other reckless crap he did. And there was this revenge obsessed, blue haired boy who had an obsession with bringing down Team Plasma. All they were missing is someone who could see ghosts...wait...that was her. She really DID fit in. All her life she'd been hoping to find a place where she fit in with others. And by some strange as all get-out twist of fate, she bumped into Katsu...and her world was flipped upside down.

On top of that, she had a sneaking suspicion that he liked her the way she liked him. As if the markings in her journal weren't already enough to testify, her dreams sure didn't help things either. She blushed at some of them. One dream involved wedding bells, Gen...and a bottle of sparkling Oran Berry juice...that did not go over too well in her dream. She had strange dreams before, but that one most certainly took the cake.

"So...are we all going to stand around here or are we going to get going? Come on, we're already late as it is!" Alice grumbled as the three of them left the center.

"Keep your shirt on Alice we're coming..." Katsu chuckled.

Jay followed behind Katsu, her headphones now on since she knew she'd be within a sea of people in that stadium.

 **X-X-X**

As expected, the stadium was packed. Fans were all waving their foam fingers around and screaming for one side or the other. The Excadrill fans were creative with their makeshift blade heads and claws. Zebstrika fans had the typical zebra mohawk. Everyone was cheering and it was loud! Both teams jogged onto the field.

"And welcome to Nimbasa City Stadium! Otherwise known as Big Stadium! We have a packed house tonight folks! Up in the stands is our very own Nimbasa City Gym Leader, Elesa! And I've just been informed that we have two more people in the stands who deserve recognition. If you'll take a look at the board, you'll see them. That's right, Riolu Boy, or Katsu Aiko is in the stands, and right next to him is Alice Eleanora!"

"Wow...we really need to buy disguises..."

"Well, I probably should have warned you Katsu...but you just did so well in that film I couldn't possibly keep recognition from you..." Alice sniggered.

"Heh...I've said it before...that's what I get for helping a movie director..."

"Now that our teams are on the field, why don't we turn it over to the action and get things going!?"

The crowd erupted into cheers as the referee stood on the field with a coin in his hand.

"Call it in the air!" He shouted.

Both teams called their choice and it went in favor of the home team who chose to kick first. Katsu sat next to Jay, as predicted, and was sipping on a slushie while the game began. The Zebstrika's went off to one side and prepared for the kickoff. Right as the game was about to start, Krookodile dug its way up from underground and stood in front of the home team. He was soon joined by a few Bisharp and Zangoose. A man wearing a uniform of black and grey colors stepped out with _several_ of his cohorts and got right in the middle of the field. Hugh glared at the field as he recognized the uniform the man was wearing. Katsu and the others noticed this too.

The man had a megaphone that he'd stolen from one of the cheer leading sections and was now clearing his throat.

"Attention everyone. This stadium is now under control of Team Plasma! If you value your lives, you will release your Pokemon at once!"

"Team Plasma? Didn't they disperse a few years ago?"

"What are they doing back? Didn't they get taken care of?"

The crowd continued murmuring amongst themselves. Some where slowly starting to back out of the stadium while others remained standing where they were, petrified. A few were skeptical.

"I see some of you aren't willing to cooperate...maybe it didn't dawn on you that we're serious...so how about a demonstration?" The grunt smirked, motioning for one of his cohorts to come forwards.

In his grip was a little girl who was tied up and struggling to get out of the grip of the grunt. By the man's side was a Golbat who was hovering above them.

"If you all don't cooperate, I will have my comrade order his Golbat to dump sludge all over this girl...the toxins will kill her rather slowly...so unless you don't want to see her face melt off I suggest you submit to us..."

Katsu reached for his blade and was prepared to launch into action. As he was about to, a white blur shot out onto the field and knocked the Golbat back several feet, sending it flying into the stands. Katsu ceased his actions as he saw what appeared to be an Absol on the field.

"So...one of you is trying to play hero huh? Show yourself..." The grunt grumbled.

"I hate to break this up...but I'm not all that comfortable with your methods of persuasion..." The Absol's trainer said as he walked onto the field, a smirk dawning his features. His amber eyes glinting as he looked at the Plasma Grunts.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

"My name is of no consequence...and I've no time for idle chit chat...put her down..."

"Oh? And what if I don't?" How are you going to stop me?" The Grunt said, holding what appeared to be a knife to her throat.

The boy sweat-dropped at this. He hadn't expected them to have knives or anything of the sort.

"Now...tell your Absol to back down or this won't be pretty..."

"Why you-"

BOOM!

An explosion rang out from behind the man holding the tied up little girl. When he looked behind him, all of his cohorts were slowly getting up. They looked at the field and saw what looked like makeshift trench. It was a few feet deep and went in a line in front of them. The boy glanced around to see where it had come from, only to spot a Riolu and another boy around his age, Katsu, on the field in front of Team Plasma.

 _'When did they get there?'_ The boy thought as he looked down at Katsu's right hand.

 _'A Bokken...and he's got a different sword as well? And...is that a Riolu, AND a shiny Rufflet?! Oh I have got to talk to this dude...'_

The Grunt who had been holding the girl, was no longer holding her. Instead, she was being held by Katsu who cut her bindings off and set her loose. The little girl looked up at him, rather bewildered.

"Where's your parents?" Katsu inquired, paying very little mind to the Team Plasma Grunts who were clearly in front of him.

"Ummm...er...the-they're...up there...there!" She pointed, almost screaming as she saw her parents surrounded by Plasma Grunts. They all seemed to be taking hostages which was not exactly the best situation.

 _'Great...this isn't good...Riolu, get to them quick!'_

 _'On it...'_

Riolu suddenly flickered out of view, completely masking his presence from any of the Pokemon that Team Plasma had out. Even those with sharp senses wouldn't be able to detect what was taking place. In a swift motion, both Grunts were knocked out cold by several body blows. Riolu appeared between the two parents and stayed there.

 _'Now that...was just cool...'_ The boy smirked.

"You! You're that boy from the Ranch!" The Grunt growled, pointing at Katsu with a scowl.

"Yeah...and he's not the only one that's here!" Alice shouted out as she was in combat with one of the other Grunts. Her Servine picked up one of the Zangoose and flung it onto the field only to blast it with an Energy Ball from a distance, knocking it out.

"Not you brats again!" The Grunt snarled, turning to face Katsu who was now...gone? The girl was gone too. He was in the stands next to the parents now. How the heck did he get up there so fast?

Katsu set the little girl down and she ran to her parents, hugging them tightly as they both bent down to embrace them. Katsu turned around, his face portraying a rather stoic expression as he gazed coldly at Team Plasma. First they tried to kidnap multiple Pokemon from the Ranch, then there was the sewer incident...and now...threatening to kill a little girl? This was just plain unforgivable.

Hugh was now on the field this time, wanting in on as much as the action as possible. Dewott, Watchog, Simisear and Tranquil were all out as he faced down the Grunts.

 _'This doofus is going to get himself into some trouble...I'd better help him out...'_ The boy said as he released three of his other Pokemon. Sawk, Archeops and Fraxure came out of their balls and immerged onto the field near Absol.

Now it was a battle. Katsu smirked as he got a look at the team the other boy had. It was a good setup and by the looks of things, highly offensive. Just then, several Plasma Grunts surrounded him, each of them had a Pokemon of their own out. He took note that most were Poison and Fighting which made his answer to them quite clear. Excadrill and Rufflet tore through them within seconds, leaving Team Plasma with no other option but to run from him.

 _'They just never seem to learn do they?'_

 _'Nope...they most certainly don't...father...'_

 _'Who are those people Katsu?'_

 _'Oh...right...you haven't met them yet. They're called Team Plasma. They have this crazy idea that humans shouldn't own Pokemon...they basically attempted to convince people to 'release' their Pokemon, yet they stole from other trainers themselves...'_

 _'That sounds...stupid...'_

 _'Tell me about it...Excadrill...'_

The Grunts began to back up as Hugh and the boy with the Absol began to corner them. So far the new kid on the block proved more than a match for Team Plasma. His Absol moved like lightning and his Sawk practically destroyed the Bisharp it fought. Hugh was amazed at just how strong the other trainer was. This made him even more determined to become stronger now. He had several trainers that were so far above him it was unbelievable. First it was Katsu, and then Alice whopped him, _twice_ and even Jay looked pretty strong since she had something that was fully evolved. She even mentioned something about a Gengar and a Dusknoir, two of the most powerful Ghost-types to have. And she was battling alongside them at the moment, and well...let's say it was a little unfair. Hugh didn't even want to know where Gengar dragged the Golbat. He spotted Gengar coming out of the ground, whistling as he walked away from a paler than usual Golbat. It wasn't dead...just...horrified.

He was determined to grow stronger no matter what and now that he saw how this new kid battled, that determination blazed even hotter. Even Elesa got into the battle with her Pokemon. Zebstrika was making quick work of her adversaries and Emolaga, Flaffy and Joltik were sweeping their foes away under their power. What? She was the defender of the city. It was her job to get involved.

"Blast you stupid kids!" The grunt growled as he found himself surrounded with no place to run. This was not looking good for him.

He looked between both trainers and grimaced.

"Looks like we'll have to retreat for now...Krookodile, Sandstorm!"

Krookodile powered up and slammed his claws into the ground, whipping up a powerful sandstorm that would spread through the stadium. This allowed time for Team Plasma to make their escape.

"Dewott, Rain Dance!"

"Simisear, after that use Sunny Day!"

Dewott and Simisear nodded and both of them executed their weather altering attacks one after the other. Dewott called upon the power of his element, producing rain clouds that started a downpour to get rid of the sand storm. Simisear channeled heated energy through his frame and released it into the air, parting the clouds and dispersing them, allowing the sun to shine through. As everything cleared up, everyone saw that the entire stadium was practically a wreck. From the people panicking, to the Pokemon fighting, it was just Chaos.

The boy who had initially helped the little girl was still on the field, looking around at it all.

"Well...Abosl...it's too bad this wasn't a natural disaster...because if it were, I think I would have been a little more leery about coming here..." The boy laughed.

The boy felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around he saw that it was Katsu, alongside his companions, and Jay of course. She was once again hiding behind Katsu. She was most likely going to do this with most new people that she met. That was something that she was going to have to work on.

"Thanks for your help..." Katsu said with a soft smile.

"Not a problem, I had a feeling something was up when the Krookodile appeared. I would have acted sooner but...I didn't know what their intentions were. And then they pulled the old hostage trick...I couldn't exactly stand by..."

"Heh...yeah...I almost jumped in when you acted first. Got the jump on me a bit there..." Katsu chuckled softly.

"Yeah but...dude...how did you do all that?"

"All what?" Katsu blinked.

"That...stuff, with the jumping and the sword and...you know...that stuff?"

"Oh...yeah...I'll just sum that up, it's complicated. Aura...if you're familiar with it..."

"Trippy...but still awesome!"

"So...what's your name?"

"Maikeru...and you're Katsu right? Sorry, I saw your face on the screen. I also saw the movie...as I'm sure you would have guessed."

"You and about all of Unova by now...have seen that movie..." Katsu sighed.

Jay peeked her head out from behind Katsu and offered a wave to Maikeru. Raising a brow, Maikeru pointed towards Jay.

"Who's she? A friend of yours?"

"Oh...her? That's Jay. She's with me, yes. We're traveling together. Long story short, we met outside of Virbank and have been traveling together ever since. And I hope it stays that way..." Katsu smiled softly.

Jay blushed slightly and hid her face in his backpack. Maikeru couldn't help but notice how impossibly adorable she was being. It was cute and hilarious at the same time.

"Oi, Katsu!"

"What's up Hugh?" Katsu inquired.

"This is the fourth time they got away," Hugh grumbled as he walked up beside Katsu.

"Yeah...it is...well, at least nobody got hurt...right?,"

"True, you're right, however...we can't say the same for the stadium...this is going to take weeks to repair..." Hugh grunted.

"Team Plasma really knows how to make a mess of things don't they?" Alice sighed as she came up beside Hugh.

"Tell me about it...we didn't get to any of them fast enough because they all just vanished. They really are good at running away..." Hugh mumbled.

"Wait...do you guys actively pursue them?" Maikeru blinked.

"Well...Hugh does, the rest of us are just sorta...caught up in it..." Alice muttered.

"That pretty much sums it up. But we did promise to help Hugh...so his goal sorta became our goal," Katsu smiled

"And that is..." Maikeru asked curiously.

"Why don't we talk about it at the Pokemon Center...the police are probably going to be here...along with reporters...and when you have people like Katsu and I in the mix...well, you get the picture..." Alice interrupted.

 **X-X-X**

"I see, so that's the story huh?" Maikeru inquired as he sat back, digging into a plate of pasta as the group spoke.

"Yeah...Hugh's been tailing Team Plasma ever since we started out on this journey. He's extremely bent on getting back that Purrloin their grandfather gave her," Katsu finished leaning back in his seat.

Jay sat next to him with her headphones down this time. There weren't too many people around so she could sit comfortably without worry.

"Well...I don't like how they operate. And if you guys need any help bringing them down I'm all for it...I hate people like that. It's wrong to steal other people's Pokemon and those who do it have no right to be spouting off ideals such as they have..." Maikeru said firmly.

"I agree...they need to be put down. So far all they've done is hit and run...but sooner or later...they're going to pull something more drastic...I just know it..." Hugh said with a sigh.

"Well...when that does happen...here...enter me into your XTransceivers...I'll come and help whenever I can." Maikeru said with a smirk.

Everyone entered Maikeru's contact info into their device and he received all of theirs. As far as Hugh was concerned, anyone who wanted to take down Team Plasma, was considered a friend.

"Well...I'm gonna hit the road. Absol and I like traveling at night...it's refreshing. See you guys...and don't be a stranger."

"Later Maikeru...be safe out there."

"Thanks Katsu, no worries...I will be..." Maikeru grinned. And with that, he walked out, leaving the group alone.

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm heading to bed. I'm exhausted. I need some sleep. Good night," Alice said with a yawn, standing up to walk upstairs.

 _'Good night...'_

Alice shot a glare backwards in no particular direction. She couldn't see Gen, but she knew he was there somewhere. Gen was too busy laughing to notice however. Dusk palmed his face and Rif shook his head.

"I think I'm going to head to bed too. After what happened today, I need to get all the rest I can get if I'm going to be ready for the gym battle in Driftveil. My training is finally starting to pay off...I'm getting stronger. Anyway...night Katsu, night Jay..." Hugh smirked, standing up to walk away.

He paused for a minute and turned to look over his shoulder, giving Katsu a determined gaze before looking down at Jay. Both of them, even though one was incredibly timid...were strong. He also noticed how Jay was acting around Katsu. Oh...this was too perfect. His eyes shifted towards Jay and then back to Katsu. He then wiggled his eyebrows and walked off.

Katsu rolled his eyes as he knew what his best friend meant by that. It was obvious he caught on as well. Then again, Hugh always teased him about how he looked. He was the pretty boy...just...more hardcore and would leave you with a concussion if you so much as hurt his friends or said anything bad about them. Katsu simply shook his head and looked over at Jay who was now looking up at Katsu.

"Well, I think we'd better get some sleep too...it's been such a long day."

"Y-yeah...we should...um...Katsu?"

"What's up?"

"D-do you really think I'm beautiful?" Jay asked bashfully, her face heating up a bit as she looked away from him.

Katsu simply smiled at this question. Of course he thought that. There was no doubt about it. But how was he going to portray these feelings he was having? This was still as strange to him as it was to her.

"Of course I do Jay...you really are beautiful. Anyone who says otherwise is lying..."

 _'Oooh...he's good...'_

 _'I must admit that was the right thing to say, Gen...'_

 _'Indeed it is Dusk...so he's not just a pretty boy but he knows the right thing to say...ever get the feeling he's almost too perfect for her?'_

 _'I don't necessarily think that's it Gen...'_

 _'What do you mean Rif?'_

 _'Take a good look my brothers. Katsu has a gentle heart and spirit. His words ring with honesty. There is no facade, he's not two faced...he's just the real deal...and exactly what our Jay needs...'_

 _'I agree with you completely Rif...'_ Dusk added.

 _'Now if only he could get the courage to...sha la la la la la la kiss the girl!'_

 _'Gen...please stop singing...you're going to hurt my ears...'_

 _'I second that...please stop...'_

 _'Sha la la la la la la ain't that sad? Ain't that a shame, too bad he gonna miss the girl!'_

 _'GEN!'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay stood outside their doors for quite a while talking while Gen, Dusk and Rif followed. The two were laughing quite a bit and it looked like they were having a fun time.

"So...it looks like we'll be heading towards Driftveil tomorrow huh?"

"Yeah...I honestly can't wait...I-I'm...having such a good time w-with you...Katsu..." Jay said with a slight blush.

"Me too...it's been a lot of fun having you around. I feel like I can relax around you...whereas with those two..." Katsu said in a hushed voice.

"Well...let's not get into that...the important thing here is that you're fun to be around. You make me laugh, smile...and a bunch of other things too..." Katsu chuckled.

"Umm...K-Katsu?" Jay stammered.

"What's up?"

"Oh...it...it's nothing..." Jay receded.

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah...sorry, a thought just crossed my mind...that's all..."

"Care to talk about it?"

 _'Push her?'_

 _'Push her...'_ Dusk said simply to Gen.

Gen utilized his powers to cause Jay to stumble forwards and land on top of Katsu, now looking down at him this time. She froze. Her eyes widened as she looked down into his eyes. They were close together at this point and both could feel their breath on one another. Gen blinked at his handiwork.

 _'Think it'll work?'_

 _'She's been holding off on this for far too long...she either does it here or it will take forever to get a better opportunity...'_

 _'Agreed Dusk...'_

Katsu stared back into her dual colored eyes. They stared at one another for the longest time, neither of them making a move to do anything. Jay slowly leaned down, her eyes closing as she started closing the distance once more. Gen and Dusk were leaning forward to see if she'd go through with it. Even Rif hovered a little higher to see if anything would come of it.

 **Annnnnnnd stopping there! Yep, you heard me. I know...I know...I'm mean, but that's because I want to really think about this. Will she go through with it? Or will she wait? And I have no idea how well I portrayed Maikeru since I wasn't given much of a background soo...yeah, gonna do what I can until I get a better handle on him. I hope I introduced him well enough. Also, his creator probably meant to say he was from Hoenn...not sure though. Correct me if I'm wrong whoever you are! Also, his Pokemon will evolve later on. He will have the EXACT team set that his description dictates. So, what will happen next? Only one way to find out! Keep a lookout for the next chapter of Icy Wrath!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone! How goes it? Doing alright? Good! Because I've got one more day of writing before my usual break. Those of you who don't know me or haven't read Flames of Revolution I'll break it down like this. Every other Thursday I take a hiatus from writing until the next Thursday. This coming Thursday will be such a day. I dump a bunch of chapters on you all and then I give time to catch up. I hope you all are satisfied with everything I've dished out so far! A few more chapters will come out before I take a long break so keep watch! Now, with that done, how did everyone like the last chapter? I know, I teased. :P That's what I do. So, with that stuff out of the way, why don't we get down to it?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 19: As We Marilly Stroll Along**

Jay slowly roused herself from her slumber that morning. It was earlier than she'd liked it to be. She glanced over at the alarm. It was 5:00 in the morning. She couldn't get any sleep after what happened. She didn't know what to think of it. It just sorta...happened. It was instantaneous and she wasn't sure what to make of it. She placed her fingers against her lips as his mind drifted back.

 _Nine hours earlier..._

Jay was looking directly down at Katsu at this point. His sapphire hues looking deeply into her gold and silver irises as she looked back at him. She could feel her heart racing several times faster than normal and she had a feeling his was too. Jay's eyes slowly fluttered shut. Katsu watched with widened eyes as she began to lean down and close the distance between them.

 _'Come on Jay! Just a few more inches...you're almost there, you can do this!'_ Jay thought to herself.

All her life she had lacked confidence. She wasn't gifted with much of anything like her family was. She didn't have amazing psychic powers like her parents did or anyone else in her family either. She was just this one shy, awkward girl who most people shunned because of her inability to control her powers and the fact that she was awkward made it much worse. She hated it. She hated the fact that she couldn't do anything right, or at least she felt that way. She'd always been called a freak. The fact that she had a defect in her eyes made it even easier to poke fun at her.

But Katsu...he was different. He showed her that she was worth something. That she was something worth much more than she was giving herself credit for. He even said she made him smile. She made him HAPPY! That was the first time anyone outside of her family _ever_ said that to her. For five years she'd walked around and never met anyone with a real smile on her face. She always had to force it. Yet...for some reason. For some, unexplainable frustrating and lovely reason...Katsu was able to do what others could not. He was able to get her to smile genuinely and laugh genuinely.

She was so envious of that! Everything he did seemed so...natural. So wonderful. It was as if he wasn't even human. And since he was an Aura Adep...with some of the crazy stunts he pulled he may as well not have been. Why? Why did he have to be so impossibly wonderful? Why did she have these unexplainable urges to get closer to him? Every boy she'd known had pushed her away or she'd done the pushing. Yet...with Katsu...he didn't push her away. Even when she stuttered, fell into him, broke things, and just made things seem difficult for him, he still looked at her and said 'it's alright...don't worry about it...'

Another thing was that she thought she looked rather plain. She didn't have the body that Alice had, albeit Jay did have a nice figure, Alice was more like a model. She had grace, confidence, albeit a bit arrogant, but confidence nonetheless. Why didn't Katsu go after her? Jay couldn't figure it out. And then he said something that nearly broke her brain. He'd called _her_ beautiful. Jay? Beautiful? Gen and Dusk and Rif along with her parents called her that but sometimes...she just didn't see it. She had low self confidence and was shy, awkward and all sorts of mess that she thought nobody would ever bother with.

Yet here was Katsu...again, accepting her for who she was and how she acted no matter what the circumstance. She couldn't wrap her mind around him, and it frustrated her. Her faults were so blatant and yet he looked right past him. He still didn't know how torn up inside she really was. It was this realization that pushed her into doing something she never thought she'd ever have the courage to do. As the thoughts rushed into her mind she suppressed them. For but a few seconds she shut them out of her mind long enough to finish what she started.

Gen's mouth popped open and his eyes widened. Dusk's one eye seemed to get a little bigger than usual. Rif had no words. No words at all. Jay's lips had pressed against Katsu's gently. It was dead. Silent. Katsu felt her lips against his and practically melted into the kiss as he was swept away in a moment of pure, unadulterated, bliss.

 _End Flashback._

 _'Are you okay Jay?'_

 _'Y-yeah...I'm..I'm fine...Gen...'_

 _'Not buyin' it...'_

 _'What do you mean?'_

 _'You finally did the one thing you were too chicken to do...and last night you were blushing so hard you made a Darmanitan look lighter by comparison...'_

Jay blushed profusely at this and shook her head vigorously.

 _'I know but...I wonder if I did the right thing...I just sorta scampered back in here, scared out of my mind at what I'd done...what if...what if he doesn't speak to me again after that? I'd feel just awful!'_

 _'Jay...Katsu's not gonna do that...wanna know why? Because he's not that type of guy...I mean...come on Jay, you blew up a kitchen making icecrem...ICECREAM! You fell into him more times than I can count, you hide behind him, you even tipped the pod over in the ferris wheel with your powers because you got scared...and he never ONCE got mad at you for it...for any of it...'_

Jay's eyes went wide at this revelation. Gen was right. Though Gen could be a pain in the rear at times, he could also be very wise. Katsu never got mad at her. Even after all the stupid ridiculous things she'd done. He simply smiled at her and ended up making her laugh and smile in return. It was the same story, every. Single. Time. Without fail, he'd forgive her...just like that.

 _'But...I'm so...full of faults and...and...I'm clumsy and I stutter, and...I'm just always in the way. He doesn't know that much about me yet...I'm afraid that if I tell him everything...he'll push me away...'_

 _'Then at some point...just level with him. Tell him how you feel...be honest with him. Last night was your first step of courage...albeit you had help...the rest of the way was done with NO guidance. You took it the rest of the way on your own accord...'_

 _'I know...I don't know what got into me...I just...he was just there and...his lips...and...nyahhh...'_ She grumbled cutely to herself as she looked at the time.

She had really done it. Part of her was over the moon about it. And part of her dreaded seeing Katsu after they'd all gotten up. What if he was mad about it? It was just so sudden, it almost didn't feel right...and yet...it did. The feeling of his warm lips against hers was the most wonderful feeling she'd had in a long time. Another thing that bothered here was the fact that it was her _first_ kiss. What if she'd stolen his? The very thought of it was bot romantic and mortifying because while she loved it, she also was incredibly nervous.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu was also awake at this hour. He was sitting up in bed with Riolu across from them. The two were meditating but he couldn't concentrate completely. He barely managed to block Riolu's knife hand as it came. Both of them opened their eyes and looked at one another.

 _'Still thinking about it?'_

 _'Yeah...I can't believe it actually happened...'_

 _'I can't believe we missed it...'_ Riolu mumbled.

 _'Very funny Riolu...but seriously...I don't know how to describe what just happened...'_

 _'That was...indescribably awesome...I don't remember saying much afterwards. I just sat there staring at her door after it happened. She'd staggered back into her room afterwards...'_

 _'She probably feared she'd get scared again and do something like last time...at least this time it would have been afterwards, right?'_

 _'Yeah...at least...'_

 _'So...how do you feel about it?'_

 _'I don't know Riolu...I mean...I like her...and I'm happy it happened. It almost seemed...appropriate? Is that the right word?'_

 _'Why do you say that?'_

 _'I dunno...maybe it was just the moment...the timing...or...the fact that I couldn't see myself not kissing her. I'd never known that feeling until I looked into her eyes. I'm going to have to thank Gen in some way shape or form...it was their doing that got her over there...however...I could tell she WANTED to. The way she was acting that night was too much of a tell tale sign...'_

 _'I see...so, you don't have any regrets?'_

 _'No...but I'm worried that she might...'_

 _'You've got a good heart Katsu...never change.'_

 _'Thanks, Riolu...'_

 _'My pleasure...'_

Riolu aimed a Force Palm for Katsu's chest who parried it to the side. Riolu smirked as he saw that concentration had indeed returned to Katsu's eyes. Katsu grinned and the two went back to meditating.

 **X-X-X**

Jay sat at the breakfast table, quietly eating her food. She'd gotten down there a little before the others. Alice and Hugh were sitting across from her and surprisingly, Katsu was next to her. Katsu gave her a warm smile as he looked over at her. This too, surprised her. Had he forgotten about it? Or was he just keeping how he felt, hidden? She was nervous and yet elated at the same time. It was a whirlwind of emotions that was plaguing her. She sighed softly as she continued eating.

"So...what's the plan from here on out?" Katsu inquired.

"Well, Driftveil City is next. I heard that Clay is incredibly tough. He's got Ground-types whose power will make your head spin..." Hugh muttered as he took a bite of his eggs.

"Did some digging huh?" Alice chuckled, taking a bite out of her steak.

"Yeah...had to. I needed to form a strategy for this gym. They call him; King Of The Mines. He's incredibly strong and his strategies are rather brutal but he fights with honor."

"So...in other-words he's one tough customer and we ought to be thoroughly equipped..."

"Right on the money Katsu..." Alice smirked.

"I see, I'll come up with something along the way. I've got two that can go toe to toe with him, and then it's divided between Liepard and Rufflet...deciding who to use is critical."

"Ummm...Katsu?" Jay said as she lightly tugged on his shoulder.

"What's up Jay?" Katsu inquired.

"Err...well...maybe you could find a water type? I'm sure there are a few around that would be able to help you..." Jay said nervously.

"You know...I think that's what's missing from my team..." Katsu smiled.

Jay smiled softly as she heard this. It meant he wouldn't shoot down her suggestions. This also meant he was still talking to her AND it probably meant he wasn't mad at her. That would be wonderful if she knew it to be true. The four of them finished their breakfast and stood up, making their way out the door. As Alice and Hugh left, Jay tugged on Katsu's shoulder for a moment in a gesture to get him to stay for a moment.

"You okay?" Katsu asked curiously.

"Well...errr...it's just...about last night. I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me. I...I was just there, and you were there and...everything was spinning and-"

Katsu placed a finger over her lips to quiet her down a little, a smile resting on his features. She breathed in deeply as he did this. It was a way of pacifying her and it worked quite well.

"Hey...did I get mad?"

"N-no?" She said half questioningly.

"Then I'm not mad...when have I ever been?"

"Katsu..." Jay said softly as she felt his hand lightly stroke her face. She leaned into his touch and reached her hand up and touched his hand.

"Don't worry about it...it's okay. And for the record...I enjoyed it...you surprised me back there Jay..." Katsu smiled.

This about made her want to break down. She didn't understand how he could be this way. To her, this wasn't normal. _He. wasn't. normal._ And yet there she was, stroking his hand, almost not wanting him to move it. She almost whimpered when he did.

"Shall we get going? Knowing how impatient those two are, they're probably already at the route by now."

"Errr...right, sorry." Jay said as she walked up beside Katsu.

The two exchanged glances and smiled at one another. He wasn't angry! That was music to her ears at that point. The sound of that was better than any tune she could play on her phone at that time. Did this mean he felt the same as she did? Should she try it again? No...she wouldn't have the same confidence that she did in that moment. And besides...Gen was the reason it even happened in the first place. She swore if she didn't love those two so much she'd throw them across the room. But they'd probably just ward it off and laugh because she had no control over it and couldn't maintain a good hold for a prolonged period of time. She wondered why she had her powers half the time.

 **X-X-X**

The group wandered towards the route out of the city when they caught sight of something rather peculiar. There was a triple battle going on between two trainers. Or at least that's what it looked like...until the Pokemon started rotating after each attack. One of them was on a motorcycle while the other was standing.

"What's going on here?" Katsu asked one of the spectators.

"That's my boyfriend...he's wanting to prove he can win against Charles but he's not doing so well..." The girl sighed, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's overconfidence. An audible thud could be heard as his last Pokemon was stomped flat.

"No fair! That wasn't supposed to happen!" The girl's boyfriend groaned.

Charles simply returned all of his Pokemon and shook his head. The boy began looking around rather desperately at this point. He'd just lost a battle in front of his girlfriend and he felt embarrassed. Katsu sighed softly, and feeling rather bad for the guy, he walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You gave it your best shot and that's all that counts right?"

"I know...but I lost...in front of my girlfriend. I wanted to show her how much stronger I've become. She's amazing and I'm just...well...not..." The boy sighed.

"What's your name?" Katsu inquired.

"Ted, you?"

"Katsu. Well, Ted...if you're worried about her being ashamed of you, I get the feeling that won't be the case..."

"How do you know for sure?"

"Because you're my boyfriend doofus? I love you even if you lose," the girl interjected.

"See what I mean?" Katsu laughed.

"Wait...did you just say your name was Katsu?" Ted asked wide-eyed.

 _'Oh no...'_ Alice and Katsu thought in unison.

Alice did her best to hide her face but she was spotted as well.

"Your movie was amazing! I'm Lydia by the way."

"Nice to meet you, and thank you for not being as spastic as the others I've met..."

"Nah, we're pretty chill. It's my sister who's the total fan-girl. She's gonna be so jealous..."

"I'm also quite a fan of that movie," Ted laughed.

"Alice is right behind me...if you want to see her too."

"Traitor!" Alice shouted.

Katsu sniggered as she was mobbed. She was a bit more popular than he was considering she's been in _several_ films and even has her own fan page. He found it when he was looking for some information on his Pokedex. These things were getting more multi-purpose by the year.

"So...your name is Charles huh?" Katsu stated as he stepped up to the burly man.

"Yep, that's me! They call me Heartbreaker Charles! Because that's what I am. I love riding the wind and hearing the roar of my engines. That's the only way to live," Charles smirked.

 _'That and being a hero when the time is right...'_ Charles sniggered mentally.

"So, what do you say to a battle? I've been itchin' for a good one. And you look tough. So tell ya what, if you battle me, I'll teach you something new," Charles smirked.

"That sounds fun...I'm up for that..." Katsu grinned.

"Alright, the first thing ya gotta do is send out three Pokemon at one time. Position them so that they are in a sort of triangle. Figure out your lead and then that's when the fight will begin. It looks sort of like this."

Charles sent out his three Pokemon. In the front was a Archen, in the back left corner was a Tirtouga and on the back right was an Sigilyph.

"Alright...that makes sense," Katsu said as he looked at each of his opponent's teammates. The answer to each of his Pokemon was clear. A grin crossed his features as he chose carefully.

 _'You up for a fight Riolu?'_

 _'I thought you'd ask me that, and the answer is yes.'_

Riolu hopped off his left shoulder and landed in a three point stance in the first position.

 _'Can I fight too?'_

 _'I was gonna ask you anyway...sure, hop down...'_

Rufflet nodded and flew onto the battlefield into the rear right position.

"Alright, Liepard, let's go!" Katsu called out, sending out his feline friend into the rear left.

"Well...Katsu's covered most of the bases. Save for having Rufflet out there, Excadrill would have been more viable, save for the fact that it couldn't do anything to Arcen..."

"He just wants to utilize his first Pokemon more that's all. Those two are attached at the hip," Hugh chuckled.

"Ready?"

"Ready!" Katsu replied.

"Okay, here's how it works! You start with the first Pokemon in front of you and give them an order. The opponent can than choose to switch the attack target and retaliate. In other words, if I asked Arcen to attack, he'd swap with Sigilyph and whatever attack you're using would be directed at him instead, But you can only attack with one Pokemon at a time." Charles grinned.

"I see, this looks fun. Alright, let's do it!"

"I'll go first, Archen, use Pluck!"

"Rufflet, Tailwind and use Aerial Ace!"

Riolu jumped and swapped places with Rufflet, via Extreme Speed. Archen was now forced to go after Rufflet who had just accelerated his speeds to go even faster. Before Archen knew it, Rufflet body checked him and sent him sprawling downwards.

"Dive and use Wing Attack!"

"Tirtouga, switch and use Ancient Power!"

Rufflet continued to dive downwards towards his target and was forced to switch targets upon the rotation. Tirtouga drew in the powers of the earth and formed several hard stones that glowed with violet light. The stones were then hurled at Rufflet who began dodging them as they came in, only to be knocked away by the last one and sent towards the ground, stopping just before hitting the ground so he could recover.

"Tirtouga Aqua Jet!"

 _'Sky Uppercut!'_

Rufflet and Riolu swapped quickly. Riolu's right arm blazed with aura as he raced to meet the jet propelled tortoise head on. An impact was made and water bursted upwards like a geyser as Riolu's raw power sent Tirtouga flying.

 _'Finish it with Force Palm!'_

Riolu soared into the air and brought his glowing palm down hard on the airborne tortoise. The Water/Rock-type slammed hard into the ground, sparks flying off his body and on top of that he was knocked out.

"Well...that was simply impressive. I heard about your little telepathic connection with Riolu. I was sorta sittin' in on that match. That's hard to work around," Charles smirked.

"Yeah, but it sure is fun though," Katsu smirked.

"Well, this match isn't over yet. Sigilyph, use Psybeam!"

"Liepard, switch in and use Feint Attack!"

Liepard simply let the attack hit her because it did absolutely nothing. It dispersed once it reached her and this gave her the opportunity to really do some damage. Liepard appeared out of the shadows after disappearing and rammed into Sigilyph, sending him into the ground.

"Now use Night Slash!"

"Archen, switch and use Ancient Power!"

Sigilyph was able to swap places with Archen and avoid the oncoming Night Slash as it missed him. Archen powered up and fired a barrage of glowing stones at Liepard.

 _'Riolu switch in and use Force Palm to break the rocks!'_

Riolu swapped with Liepard and began to shatter each rock that came his way, powering his way through the attack as it was thrown. Katsu was trying to bait Archen into getting in close, and that's when he'd strike.

"Archen, Acrobatics!"

 _'Extreme Speed!'_

Arcen may have been faster, but when it came to it, Riolu had the upper-hand in this case with that move. Riolu flickered completely out of view, moving at nearly untraceable speeds. His confidence really had gone up. Jay noticed that Katsu was feeling like his usual self and that made her feel _much_ better. Riolu spun out of his sprint and delivered a powerful elbow to the neck of the rock bird who had gotten too close to the ground.

 _'Force Palm!'_

Riolu powered up and slammed his palm harshly into the back of the Archen, the resulting shockwave sending it into the ground even deeper. Sparks flew from Archen as he struggled to get up. He was paralyzed.

"Sigilyph, Air Cutter!"

Sigilyph switched in quickly and lashed out at Riolu with a powerful Air Cutter which connected perfectly, sending Riolu flying back. Riolu struggled to get up and stared defiantly at Sigilyph.

"Air Cutter again!"

"Rufflet Aerial Ace, let's go!"

Rufflet launched himself into the fight after tagging out with Riolu. He rocketed into Sigilyph and sent him fly backwards.

"Wing Attack!"

"Archen, switch in and use Ancient Power!"

The switch was made and Archen fired a barrage of stones at Ruflet who was once again pelted by several, causing him to crash into the ground, out cold.

"That's okay Rufflet...good job, I'm proud of you..." Katsu stated, returning his Rufflet.

"Liepard, Feint Attack!"

"Arcen, Acrobatics!"

Archen tried to move, however, due to the electricity arching through his body, he was unable to budge. Liepard came barreling into him, sending him crashing into the ground with a thud. Charles returned Archen and smirked.

"Gotta hand it to you kid. You are one tough customer!" Charles grinned.

"Thanks, you're good too...this is a lot of fun."

"It's not over yet, Sigilyph! Use Air Cutter!"

"Liepard, let's end this with Feint Attack and Night Slash!"

The blast of wind sliced through the air like butter, however, it wasn't fast enough to catch Liepard. The crafty little cat went into predator mode as she flickered from view. She reappeared above and behind Sigilyph and pounced on him. Her weight sent him into the ground and she drew back her claw and lashed out at him with glowing violet claws. Liepard leapt off her target and sauntered over to Katsu, sitting down to lick her paw. Sigilyph was out cold.

"Well, shoot! That's rather embarrassing. Getting schooled when I was the one teaching. That's a rare occurance. Still, I gotta hand it to you kid, you're really good. Keep up the good work. Now if you'll excuse me...I've got a date with the wind!" Charles grinned, his motors roaring as they started up again and he zoomed off.

"That was awesome!" Ted exclaimed.

"I know right? You're really good!" Lydia laughed.

"Err...thanks, but really, it wasn't me. It was my team. They just worked together, I just gave the commands and they did all the work," Katsu laughed nervously.

"Still though, that was really fun to watch. Hope to see you at the League! My boyfriend and I are heading them after we get our badges. It'll be fun!" Lydia grinned.

Ted looked a bit nervous because he had only barely one his fourth badge. The two walked off and the crowd dispersed.

"Great work out there Katsu, you continue to impress me..." Alice smirked.

"Yeah, you've gotten a heck of a lot stronger than the last time I saw you battle," Hugh chuckled, watching as Katsu released Ruffled and gave him a potion to drink so he could recover.

"You were great Katsu..." Jay smiled happily, just glad to see him back to his old self. She was glad what she'd done helped him out. His confidence was booming at the gym and the stadium and it continued steadily to this point, showing that what she did, had a lasting effect. And that, made her EXTREMELY happy.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and the group soon found themselves on the Drifveil Bridge. As they walked along, Hugh's eyes snapped forwards. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at and it was a rather strange sight. There were two Team Plasma members standing on the bridge and they were both arguing. Katsu was about to call one of his team to action when he noticed something strange. There was a female Team Plasma member dressed in a different uniform. It looked older but in all honesty, better. The other member had the current uniform on.

"What? You can't just quit. How can you go legit after you've already stolen so many Pokemon AND destroyed so much?! Come on, join us again. The world will grovel at our feet."

"I...I cannot do that. Lord N would be sad...I cannot betray him. He has done far too much for us..."

"Ha! That traitor? Some 'King' he was. He ran when he was defeated! Victory was in sight and he blew it!"

Katsu raised a brow as he listened to the conversation. Who was this lord N? Was he once their leader? It seemed as though both members of Team Plasma...were on opposing sides. But...how could that be possible?" Katsu tried to make sense of it but wasn't really able to at the moment.

"HEY!" Hugh shouted, racing forwards, his fist cocked back as he delivered a punch straight to the Team Plasma Grunt's face. The man reeled back and regained his footing, turning to glare at Hugh.

"Why you little-!" The Grunt growled, reaching for his Pokeball, but remembering the orders he was given, he stopped.

"Curses...I was told not to make a scene if you all showed up...you lucked out for now, but soon you'll see. You'll face our icy wrath..." The Grunt smirked before darting off.

"Get back here! Get back here right now and hand over my sister's Purrloin!" Hugh shouted in a rage, dashing off after him.

"Shouldn't we..."

"Probably not...look..." Alice pointed out, watching as the Grunt suddenly vanished. Hugh stomped the ground angrily and stormed back over to the group.

"Did you have to do that?" Katsu asked.

"What do you think? Duh..." Hugh sighed.

"Ummm...Katsu...Hugh...Alice? The other one is still there..." She said as she pointed towards the woman.

"While that was not exactly neccessary...thanks for shoving him away. Don't worry about him though...he and I know each other. We used to fight for the same cause...but now he's become corrupted..."

"Corrupted?"

"I'll explain later...follow me," she said.

 **X-X-X**

The group soon found themselves inside of what appeared to be a house behind the gym. There were dozens of Pokemon and kneeling on the ground next to an Evee was an elderly man by the name of Rood. A smile formulated itself onto his features as he turned to face the group.

"Welcome...and thank you Lisa, for bringing them..." Rood smiled.

"Of course Rood...it's my pleasure," Lisa said as she withdrew herself to tend to some of the Pokemon.

"So...rumor has it that you've been meddling in Team Plasma's plans. Is this correct?" Rood inquired.

"I take it you've heard of us?" Katsu spoke up.

"I've actually had an agent sent to see what our former comrades were up to...he's a nice lad...much like you seem to be Katsu..." Rood said with a faint smile.

"Not surprised that you already know my name...so why are we here? And what did you mean by ' _former_ comrades?" Katsu asked firmly.

"You see...after the incident that happened a few years ago, we began to realize how foolish we were. We weren't helping the Pokemon...we were causing suffering. And because of that, we have been taking care of the Pokemon that were separated from their trainers here. It's our way of...atoning for our sins," Rood explained.

"So...are all these Pokemon yours? Or did you steal them too like you did my Sister's Purrloin?!"

"Your sister had a Pokemon stolen from her by Team Plasma? I'm sorry...that was foolish of us...my sincerest apologies young man..."

"Keep your freaking apology! Because of what happened five years ago, my sister doesn't have her Purrloin. I don't care what it takes, I'm going to bring down every last one of those who caused us pain!" Hugh blurted out before turning to leave, only to be stopped by Katsu's hand.

"Hey...easy Hugh, he's not with them anymore...no need to blame him."

"I don't care...he was with them when it happened, do you expect me to just forgive him like that? Just because they take care of Pokemon now? Sure...it's admirable...I get that. But they're still someone else's Pokemon...and now they won't get to see them again..."

"We know Hugh...but you gotta calm down. Rood here has turned over a new leaf...just leave him out of your crazy plans and move on. Team Plasma is the enemy, not its former members..." Alice chimed in.

"No...he's right. We did him a grave injustice...saying sorry isn't going to cut it. Only through action can we prove that we are truly repentant. Hugh, once more, I apologise on behalf of those who wronged you and your sister. We cannot change what happened but you can prevent it from happening any further...so I'm going to ask you to continue fighting...all of you. They are blinded by Ghetsis and did not see the light as N has. I want you all...to show them that light..." Rood finished.

"We will Rood...we'll open their eyes and help them to see that what they are doing is wrong...at any cost..." Katsu stated, clenching his fists.

"Good...now, I've another favor to ask of you...Katsu..."

 **X-X-X**

The group found themselves on Route 6 after crossing through Driftveil City. Rivers were running through it and across each of them was a well constructed wooden bridge. It was a sort of scenic route and a wonderful contrast to Route 4 which was almost all desert.

"According to my father, there's a research lab somewhere around here. I think we should visit it. I hear they study Deerling there."

"Deerling? I've heard of those. They sorta change colors with each season right?"

"Right you are Jay. They do. And it's so beautiful. I want one..." Alice smiled.

"Why do I get the feeling you like mostly cute Pokemon?" Katsu said with a raised brow.

"Whatever gave you that idea?!" Alice said with a flushed face.

"I don't know...you have a Flaffy, a Servine...that Herdier in your arms...and I'm sure you have that Krokorok bye cause they look cute as a Sandile...and Deerling is adorable..." Katsu finished.

Alice chose not to say much of anything after that. She blinked for a moment when she thought back to all of their pre evolutions. She couldn't help but gush over them all. Mareep was cute and cuddly...Snivy was adorbale, Lillipup was too cute for words and Sandile was endearing. But she didn't catch them for cuteness factor. They all evolved into powerhouses of strength and speed. What she _hoped_ to get was Deerling. When it evolved into Sawsbuck, it looked beautiful in all of its forms.

 _'I think she silently admitted you were right...'_

 _'I think so too Riolu...'_

As the gang continued to watch, there was a group of Pokemon up ahead just playing in one of the rivers. A Marill was sitting by the edge of the river and inside were a few Poliwags, a Poliwhirl, and some Basculin, of all things, and a Politoed. An Audino and Emolga were sitting by the Marill. All of them were laughing and having a good time.

"Is it just me...or do you have the best luck in the world Katsu, because there is a gaggle of Water-types over there." Alice inquired.

"It's not you, Katsu has amazing luck...I mean -cough- shiny Rufflet! -cough.-

"Ha, ha Hugh. I don't know why I have good luck. It just sorta...happens..." Katsu chuckled as he glanced back at Jay for a moment.

Yes, he considered it good luck that he ran into her. It was because of her that his confidence was renewed and because of her that he caught Excadrill. And now? He had a little extra spring in his step this morning. The group had been walking for a while and decided they'd want to take a rest near where all the Pokemon were.

 _'Wanna go play?'_

 _'As in...spar?'_

 _'Yeah, we can do that for a while. We need to keep ourselves in practice. And I wanna test this new sword out...'_

 _'Awesome! Let's do it then.'_

Katsu nodded as he took out his other Pokeballs and let his friends out.

"You four go have some fun. I know you've been cooped up for a while and are probably wanting some fresh air..." Katsu said with a soft smile.

 _'Actually, katsu...if you really want to test that...why not see how it does against Excadrill?'_

 _'Hmm...that sounds like a good idea actually...'_

"Hey Excadrill, come here a sec!"

Excadrill turned around at his trainer's call. The other three went over to play with the group of Pokemon by the river. Excadrill stood in front of Katsu with a curious look on his face.

 _'You called, Katsu?'_

 _'Yeah...I was wondering...mind doing me a favor? I sorta wanna test out this new sword. And you've got blades on your arms and head so I figured it was the best way to test it.'_

 _'I see...very well then. Where shall we do this?'_

 _'Right here is fine...we're a bit of a distance from them.'_

 _'Alright, if you're certain...'_ Excadrill stated, extending his claws and preparing himself for combat.

Katsu lowered his stance and placed his hand on his sword hilt. Riolu looked between the two of them. Hugh, Alice and Jay stopped what they were doing to watch as well. Even the Pokemon by the river were watching. The Marill wandered away, wanting to get a closer look. Was a human...fighting a Pokemon? What was this world coming to?

Excadrill studied Katsu for a moment. His posture was practically perfect and his stance was just right. He couldn't find much of an open spot due to how Katsu held the hilt. Deciding to make the first strike, he darted in without a moment's hesitation, his right claw outstretched, ready to make contact with Katsu's left side, just below the shoulder. Katsu withdrew the sword swiftly and using his aura to reinforce the durability, steel connected with steel. The resulting clash sent a pulse of energy flying in all directions, rustling the leaves of the trees and swaying the branches thereof.

 _'Huh. This sword is more durable than I expected. Had I used my bokken, it probably would have snapped...'_

 _'Wood doesn't really give much resistance to steel...'_

 _'That depends on the wood...but I see your point Excadrill.'_

Katsu sheathed his sword with a smile. He was quite satisfied with the results of that little test and then turned back to the group.

"Katsu, you really are one scary dude..." Hugh laughed.

"Hey...Katsu's not that scary! He's...just...gifted, is all..." Jay blushed, looking away from them towards Katsu.

It was cute. Jay defended him a little, even though she probably knew Hugh was joking. Hugh, noticing this, chuckled softly.

"Relax, Katsu knows I mean no harm, right Katsu?"

"Yep...we joke like that a lot. You haven't traveled with us long enough to see when we get into it. It can be quite entertaining."

"I agree with that...you two bicker like brothers. It's a wonder you're not related..." Alice tittered.

"I see...that makes sense I suppose..." Jay smiled.

 _'Uh...Katsu? You've kinda got someone at your feet...'_ Riolu pointed out.

Katsu blinked as he looked down at his feet. There, standing at just over 1 foot tall, was a Marrill. It was bouncing on its tail to try and reach the sword.

 _'I think Marill wants to see your sword...'_

 _'Heh...I don't know what they'd want with it...'_

"Aww, she's adorable!" Alice giggled.

Before Alice knew it, she was blasted in the face by a stream of water. Alice sputtered and then blinked, looking at the now irritated looking Marill.

"What'd I say?" Alice asked, clueless as to what the problem was.

 _'I'm NOT a girl you blond bimbo!_

 _'She can't understand you...'_ Katsu chuckled.

 _'Wait...then...how come you can?'_

 _'Long story. I'd rather just leave it at that for now.'_

 _'Now I'm curious...also, how were you able to compete with Excadrill, you're HUMAN!'_

 _'That's part of that long story. How much do you want to know?'_

 _'Everything...I have very inquisitive mind, as you can probably already guess...'_

 _'Well...I suppose I could tell you. But my friends and I are going to be heading out to Driftveil in a little bit.'_

 _'Then can I come with you?'_

 _'Excuse me?'_

 _'Can. I. Come. With. You?'_

 _'As in...tag along?'_

 _'As in you be my trainer. Duh?'_

 _'Well...I can't say I can argue with that. Sure, hop aboard. We're all one big crazy family...'_

 _'I LIKE crazy. Some of the Pokemon around here are kinda boring.'_

 _'Well...shall we do this then?'_

 _'Yes please!'_

Katsu smiled softly and took out one of his many Pokeballs and tapped the mechanism on it to enlarge the ball. He then tapped the Marill on the head with it, and the red light engulfed her. The ball twitched a few times and then dinged, signifying Marill had been caught.

Alice's eyebrow twitched a little. Hugh blinked and Jay simply stared. Had Katsu just caught a Marill without having to battle? Katsu then let him out and he bounced onto his head.

 _'Comfy?'_

 _'Very...your hair is so soft...and it looked cozy...so sue me.'_

"Okay...Katsu, that's just not fair." Hugh grumbled.

"Huh? What'd I do?"

"You just caught a Marill, of all things, without battling it. That is the second time you've done that. What'd she do, just ask you?"

Another stream of water hit her in the face and she sputtered again.

"Why you little!"

"Alice...it's a he...not a she..." Katsu deadpanned.

"Oh...well, I feel stupid now..." Alice mumbled.

 _'Bimbo...'_ Marill grumbled.

Katsu sighed and rolled his eyes at those two. He was glad she couldn't understand Marill. Those two would be in more arguments than anyone he'd ever met. Katsu walked over to Jay who giggled as she looked up at him. He had a Rufflet on his right shoulder, Riolu on his left, and a Marill on his head. He looked hilarious. Katsu chuckled softly as he knew why she laughed. He loved that sound. Her laugh was just so musical to him.

"I think we ought to get going. The lab is just ahead and I wanna check it out as much as possible," Alice stated.

"Fine by me, let's get going then," Katsu added.

Jay stood up next to Katsu, Rif floating around her while Gen and Dusk were on either side of her. Gen sniggered as he saw Marill sitting on Katsu's head.

 _'That Marill is funny...I like him.'_

 _'Indeed...Gen, though it was rather crude of him to call Alice a bimbo, even if it did fit. The politically collect terms would have been intellectually vacuous.'_

 _'You mean blond?'_

 _'Now you're stereotyping...not ALL blonds are airheads. That's just a ridiculous label that was placed on them just so society could have something to laugh at...some blonds are actually highly intelligent. Alice...although seemingly air-headed is brilliant...and her battle prowess is a testament to it...however...in this case...she couldn't recognize the fact that the Marill was a male...'_

 _'Ah...she got gender confused.'_

 _'Exactly...'_

 **X-X-X**

The group reached the research lab and Alice's eyes popped. There were TONS of Deerling standing around as scientists studied them. Yep. She definitely loved cute Pokemon. Though...some didn't grow up to be so cute afterwards. Curious, Katsu decided to check the stats on the Marill he'd just caught. His eyes popped a bit the moment he saw his ability. He looked up at Marill and then back down at his Pokedex and suppressed a laugh.

 _'So...Huge Power huh?''_

 _'Yep...'_

 _'That's just hysterical...'_

"Everything okay Katsu?" Hugh inquired.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just looking around is all," Katsu chuckled, closing his Pokedex.

What was even more hilarious were the moves that Marill knew. Yep, Katsu was one lucky guy alright. And this proved it. Alice walked over to one of the Deerling, doing her best not to die from cuteness. She smiled broadly and stroked Deerling's ears. The little fawn looked up at her with curiosity. The Deerling nuzzled into her hand as it was stroked.

"Well...we've lost Alice for the next few hours. So, who wants to go inside?"

Jay and Katsu simply laughed and then followed Hugh, leaving Alice outside to play with the Deerling. As they stepped inside, they were met by a scientist who was standing beside Sawsbuck. The powerful buck stared at the trainers as they came in. The scientist took note of the shiny Rufflet on Katsu's shoulders. What? He was sparkly. The scientist adjusted his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things before leaning in close to get a better look. Katsu sweat-dropped.

"Uh...what are you doing?" Katsu inquired curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just couldn't help but notice your shiny Rufflet. I was going to ask you where on earth you got it since the chances of finding them are unbelievably rare...much like your Riolu...and is that a Marill?! How many rare Pokemon do you have?"

"Err...I don't know? I didn't even know these were rare. They just sorta...walked up to me? Save for Rufflet, I hatched him," Katsu pointed out.

"You must have an incredible amount of luck," The scientist observed.

"Thanks...I guess?" Katsu laughed nervously.

The scientist nodded and then turned to the group and observed them. A smile crossed his features as he looked them over. They all seemed like strong trainers.

"So, I take it you're here because of the Deerling?"

"Yeah, something like that. Our friend Alice, who is still out there...is wanting to get a Deerling. That's most likely the reason she's playing with them right now..."

 **X-X-X**

"Oh aren't you all so adorable!" Alice gushed.

The Deerling nuzzled against her, creating a slightly hilarious scene due to one of them licking her face while the other lightly tugged her hair. There were at least four Deerling with her now.

 **X-X-X**

"I see...well, she's free to take one. They're wild you know. We just study them is all," the scientist stated with a chuckle.

"I know she'll be happy about that," Katsu chuckled.

"Well, what would you like to learn?" The scientist inquired.

"Just about anything really? Care to show us around?"

"Certainly...be prepared, I can get a little lengthy when it comes to discussions.

 _A few hours later..._

"Well...that took longer than I thought...and I can't believe you stayed out there the whole time Alice. On top of that...congrats on catching one," Hugh chuckled.

"Thank you...I am _very_ happy about this catch," Alice grinned as she looked down at the little fawn walking by her side while she held onto Herdier.

"So, shall we head back to challenge the gym? I'm itchin' to fight!" Katsu smirked.

"We know, and so are we. This is going to be epic. Alice and I are going to go on ahead and take our challenge, we'll meet up with you guys afterwards okay?" Hugh stated.

"Sure, no prob...I was thinking of checking into the Pokemon Center and healing up anyway. I need to get a room for the night as well when it gets to that time. Jay and I will catch up later...that is, unless she wants to go with you guys?"

"Errr...that's okay Katsu, I'll stay with you. I don't want you to have to be by yourself..." Jay smiled.

"Then it's settled, Jay and I will head into town while you to get your badge."

"Sounds good, let's do this thing!"

 _'Why do I get the feeling that Jay just wanted more private time with Katsu?'_

 _'Probably because she did Gen...probably because she did...'_

 _'Our little Jay...-sniff-...is growing up...-sniff-...so fast!'_

 **Annnnnd cut! Whew! That took a lot longer than expected. Mostly because I had to go back and tie up a lot of loose ends. That and there was a lot to cover between Nimbasa and Driftveil. I skipped straight to going inside the house due to that battle being a bit of a foregone conclusion. If you look at Katsu's team...and what Rood has in Black2/White2 you will see what I mean. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter because I sure enjoyed writing it! Also, thanks again to PG-13 for suggesting the Marill with Huge Power. Be prepared for some fun. Also, about Marill being rare. It's the same rareness of finding a Riolu or Rufflet in Black2 and White2. There is only a 5% chance of running into the blasted blue bundle of bounciness! That just proves that Katsu, is one lucky trainer. Anyway, the gym battle is coming up next! I hope you're ready!**


	20. Chapter 20

**And here we go again! It's time for another exciting installment! So, how many of you enjoyed the last one? I certainly enjoyed writing it. So yeah, Katsu and Jay are -almost- a thing. The confession will come soon! Once Jay works up the courage for that little number romance will follow! I hope you all have enjoyed her so far. Thanks to PG allowing me to have storyline has developed quite well and I must say...I haven't ever seen a couple this freaking cute in any of my writings that I've done before FF. With that in mind...here comes badge number five! So get ready because it's time for the fun to begin!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 20: Bouncing Blue Ballistics!**

Katsu and Jay sat for a while inside the Pokemon Center while the other two did their thing at the gym. Katsu had given all six of his Pokemon to the nurse and was having them healed. His mind was elsewhere at the moment, and Jay knew why. He was thinking back to when they were with Rood. She could read his thoughts very easily and saw what he was dwelling on.

 _Hours Earlier..._

"Katsu...there is something I want to speak to you about..." Rood stated as he watched the other two exit. They were going to wait outside.

"Sure...but can Jay stay? Since her and I travel a lot and the others come and go...I think it's best she knows what's going on too..." Katsu replied.

"Very well then...wait here..." Rood said as he turned to go into one of the rooms.

He soon returned with a Pokeball in hand. He walked up to Katsu and looked at him with a determined expression and then opened the ball. Out of it came a small, slate shaded little fox Pokemon with red and black marks on its body in a few places. Its eyes were a mixture of green and blue and there was a little tuft of fur on its head. It had a short, tapered muzzle with two small fangs that were visible. It had a black ruff of fur around is neck and the tiny paws it had were tipped crimson and it had a small and bushy tail.

"This is Zorua...he was a companion for our lord N on his journey. He traveled with him and has since been left here because N feels he would be best with someone willing to train him. My lord N is a truly wonderful and gifted young man. He has the power to understand a Pokemon's heart but when it comes to understanding the heart of a human being he is at a loss. I hope that he will be able to find understanding one day."

"This lord N of yours..." Katsu began.

"Is traveling the world with the Legendary Pokemon he met along his journey. With him, he is atoning for his many misdeeds as well as helping others in any way he sees that he can. He is wanting to make up for all the trouble that he caused in Unova when he was king of Team Plasma. It was a dark time for our lord N. But now...he seeks only peace," Rood smiled.

"I see..." Katsu stated, taking out his Pokedex to get a look at Zorua.

 **Zorua. The Tricky Fox Pokemon. It changes it's form so it looks like it's foe, tricks it and then uses that opportunity to flee. It can also change into different Pokemon and also people. They do this to protect themselves from danger.** The Pokedex informed.

"Sounds trippy..." Katsu said as he looked down at Zorua.

"So what's your request?" Katsu inquired.

"My request is that you take Zorua with you. I do believe he will be of good use to you on your quest. That is...if you'll have him..."

Katsu thought about it. _Really_ thought about it. He didn't know if he should take Zorua or not. This was a former companion to someone who, according to Rood, caused trouble in Unova. He sweat-dropped as he watched Zorua shift into Drifblim and started floating around Jay in mimicry before landing back on the ground, sniggering. He had to admit, it was a pretty cool trick. Actually...now that he REALLY thought about it. He wouldn't mind having it. Sure, it would was a troublemaker, but it deserved a second chance right?

Katsu sighed and then turned to look at Rood. He could tell the man was serious in his intentions and meant well. So well in fact that Katsu held out his hand suggestively for him to hand Zorua to him.

"Sure...I'll take him. He deserves to have a companion again, even after everything that happened. However...I don't have any room in my party...so could you do me a favor Rood?"

"What is it? Name it and it shall be done..."

"I would like you to give it to Jay...officially. I have been wanting to thank her for the longest time now and I don't see any other fitting way save for this..." Katsu smiled.

Rood smiled at this. Even Zorua looked up at him with happy eyes. No mischief, yet...just happy. Rood returned Zorua to the Pokeball and took out a small device used to register a gift transfer. He then handed the ball to Katsu with a soft smile.

"Thank you Katsu...I am sure N would be very happy to know he is in good hands..."

 _End Flashback_

Jay sat at the table with Zorua in her arms. She honestly didn't know what to think at this point. Jay had just given her a Zorua. He was so adorable too! But...she felt as though she didn't deserve it at all. What had she done that was worth a gift like this? First it was the stamp collection, now a Zorua?! Could he be anymore perfect for her? The first gift was nice...this was just showing off. Zorua looked up at his new owner with interest. He then looked back over at Katsu and his Pokemon.

 _'Can you hear me?'_

 _'You can speak to me?!'_

 _'I can...I figured it's best we talk this way so we can avoid looking strange. There are quite a few people in here right now.'_

 _'I see...cool! I had no idea other humans could do this. This is pretty neat! I mean, N was able to directly talk to me but you're doing it in my head...it's kinda trippy...'_

 _'Yes...I know...I felt the same way too, strange huh? Anyway, I want to train you. I know Jay is your official owner, but I'm the one who agreed to actually be in charge of your training. Jay specializes in ghost types...as you can probably tell. And I'm not sure if you're aware of it...but there is a Gengar and Dusknoir floating above her as well.'_

 _'Wow, you can see all that? You must be really something!'_

 _'Yes...it's called Aura Sight. With it...anything trying to hide from me becomes visible only to me...'_

 _'I guess that means I can't pull any funny stuff huh?'_

 _'Well...I might allow it...as long as it's harmless fun...but while I train you I want you to listen to me. Also...I have a task to give you. Your abilities are amazing. Can you replicate people completely?'_

 _'Mostly...yes. I can mimic their image down the the most miniscule detail. And with a little trouble, I can even do their voice if I went through enough effort...'_

 _'That is astounding...so...back to my request. I want you to protect Jay whenever she is in danger...she is special to me and I...I don't want anything to happen to her. I made a vow to her father that she would be in good hands and I meant it.'_

 _'You are as noble as N Katsu...I will take that vow with you...so, when do we start training?'_

 _'Right after I battle Clay at the gym...you'll get to see how I fight and get an understanding of my style...also...I hope you like entertainment because this fight will most certainly be that...'_

 _'I look forward to it already...'_ Zorua grinned.

Fortunately, Jay had her headphones in, so she didn't have the pleasure of hearing Katsu speak to Zorua of his feelings he'd been developing for her. Oh well. She'd find out later. That much was certain.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay stood in front of the gym. Alice and Hugh soon walked through the doors with proud smiles on their faces. They both had their badges already and showed them to Katsu.

"Awesome job guys. It must have been intense!" Katsu smiled.

"Yeah, it was, but you know what? We held out just fine."

"I bet you did Hugh," Katsu chuckled.

"Yep, his Dewott performed splendidly. As did his other Pokemon. I quite enjoyed watching him work. And my little Deerling stole the stage before Servine cleaned up...eh? Jay? Is that a...a Zorua?!"

Katsu palmed his face as he knew what was coming. Hugh mimicked Katsu and shook his head. Alice was once again gushing over how cute a Pokemon was. Marill popped out of his ball and sprayed her in the face to cool her off. Dripping wet, she snapped her head towards the water mouse, who stuck his tongue out at her after she glared at him. Katsu rolled his eyes and returned Marill after that deed was done.

"Anyway, congrats to you both. You deserved it. Now...it's my turn."

"Who are you using? He's got four pretty tough ones in there, it's going to be rough."

"I know that Hugh, which is why I'm very much prepared for it. I'm going to have a lot of fun today..." Katsu snickered.

"Don't you always?" Alice remarked.

"Yeah...but this will be a different kind of fun...you'll see."

And with that, the four of them walked into the gym. Jay walked by Katsu's side, curious about what strategy he might be using. She could think of several to use against Clay. One would be Rufflet. He had the aerial advantage and would be able to avoid most of the attacks...but then again there was the possibility of a Rock-type move. Then there was Excadrill. A powerhouse in his own right and with moves like Drill Run and Dig, it was a terror to face. There was also trusty little Riolu. Fast when using Extreme Speed and insanely strong when using that momentum for attacks. Darumaka wasn't an option. Liepard was viable due to her speed and trickiness and of course there was Marill a Water-type making him an absolute must.

Jay wasn't sure what little strategy Katsu was cooking up in that strategic brain of his but it must have been good if he was this confident in winning. Jay heard rumors of how strong Clay was, but since Hugh and Alice beat him, maybe he wouldn't be too difficult. The four of them took the elevator down to the lowest level, right into the mines itself. Katsu stepped out of the elevator alongside Jay followed by Alice and Hugh.

"Well! Look who's back! I take it these other two little whippersnappers are friends of yours huh?! Clay said in a rather gruff and booming voice.

Clay looked as though he could be a sheriff or something of the sort. He was the city's protector so it fit. He also played a pivotal role in stopping Team Plasma a few years back, something Katsu didn't know yet. Clay had a pickaxe in hand and a sheriff's hat on as well as some sort of orange dress shirt with a teal tie and pants to match the tie. Over those clothes was a brown vest and some pants of the same material that minors wore.

"Yep, but only one of them is going to challenge you. That would be Katsu," Hugh stated, gesturing to Katsu.

"Hmm...I see! You've got a confident stance there young man. And since you have the confidence to go around carryin' weapons I assume you must know how to use'em!"

Katsu nodded, not bothering to reach for the bokken because Clay had already observed that he was skilled simply by looking at him.

"I like the look in yer eyes boy! Why don't we see if that look is fer real or just there to look tough! YEEEEEEHHHHAAAAW!" Clay shouted, twirling his axe around behind him before tapping it with the switch to open the door.

The doors to the arena opened up and the battlefield was revealed. Katsu and Jay blinked as they saw the field in which Katsu would battle on.

"I created this arena myself! This entire tunnel was dug by me and my Pokemon. That's several years worth of diggin' and trainin' and hardship! Do you think you've got what it takes to face me knowing I've been fighting battles like this for most of my life?"

Katsu simply smirked as he looked back at Clay. There was a mischievous twinkle in Katsu's eye that was there for just a moment. Gen and Dusk took note of it and couldn't help but grin. This was going to be good.

"It's incredible that you did all of this. It's truly a work of art, that's for sure. I gotta say, I'm thoroughly impressed. Your Pokemon must be incredibly strong to have done this. I can't wait to see them in action."

"Yer darn right they are! I've raised them to be powerful and that's what you're going to be up against. Are you ready boy?!"

"I was born ready..." Katsu smirked.

"This match is between the Driftveil City Gym Leader; Clay and the challenger; Katsu Aiko! This will be a four on four match! Furthermore only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the first move. Ready? Begin!"

"Alright Sandslash! Let's go get'em!"

"Marill you're up!"

Sandslash appeared on the field and simply stared at his opponent. Yes...it was a water type, but it wasn't exactly a super strong one. The little mouse was only a foot tall compared to Sandslash and...was it bouncing on its tail? Marill quit bouncing like its pre-evolution and stood on both feet.

"Marill, Aqua Jet!"

"Sandslash use Dig!"

Marill cloaked himself in water and darted forwards, the increased priority move giving him the speed advantage. He rocketed towards Sandslash just as it was at the apex of his attack before he began to dive. Marill rammed into Sandslash, connecting with brutal force for such a tiny mouse. Sandslash fell to the ground and struggled to get up. After shaking himself off he turned and stared at Marill.

What was that just now? He felt like he'd gotten hit with a truck.

"Shake it off Sandslash! Use Bulldoze!"

"Bounce and use Aqua Jet from the air!"

Sandslash began to channel the energy of the earth into his body. The ground beneath him trembled in his wake and Marill began to lose his balance a little as this occurred. Sandslash soon erupted forth, aiming to plow into Marill with devastating force. Marill, seeing this, tucked his tail beneath him and then launched himself HIGH above the battlefield. Sandslash's momentum carried him right into wall. Maril cloaked himself in water and rocketed downwards towards Sandslash.

"Sandslash! Dig out of there!"

As Sandslash shook the rocks off himself, he jumped up to dig underground, however...he wasn't fast enough. Marill came bouncing down encased in water and smashed into Sandslash with a combination of Bounce's height, with Aqua Jet coupled with the Huge Power ability, Sandslash was left completely concussed.

"Sandslash is unable to battle! Marill wins!"

Marill bounced back over to where Katsu was and looked up at him.

' _Now that...that was fun...'_

 _'That was hysterical! Are you kidding?!'_

 _'I agree with you Katsu, so...am I fighting again?'_

 _'Yep...I want to get some training in with you...'_

 _'You really are one of a kind Katsu...I am enjoying this, so...next victim?'_

"I must admit I'm impressed! I wasn't expecting your little Marill to be that tough, you must be pretty confident to be keeping her out like that!"

Marill's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Uh...Clay, it's a he..." Katsu explained.

"Huh. Don't that beat all! Most Marill I come across are females! My mistake."

 _'Darn right it's your mistake you tunnel mole!'_

Katsu simple sniggered to himself as he heard this. He turned back to Clay who was readying his next ball.

"Alright Krokorok, let's goooo!"

Clay tossed the ball high into the air and out popped Krokorok. The sand crocodile stared down his tiny opponent with mild curiosity. He then crossed his arms and waited for Clay to give the order.

"Alright Krokorok, use Dig!"

Krokorok jumped high into the air and dove into the ground. Katsu simply smirked as he knew this tactic well. His eyes locked onto the battlefield. He soon closed them to get a feel for the aura of the Krokorok as it traveled underground. His eyes shot open once he felt Krokorok start to come towards the surface.

"Marill! Use Bounce and Aqua Jet now!"

Marill balanced onto his tail and bounced high into the air, right as Krokorok burst through the arena floor. Clay's eyes widened as he saw what was happening. Marill came down swiftly, utilizing the speed of Aqua Jet to plummet towards the ground, reaching intense speeds before crashing down on top of Krokorok with the combo attack. Krokorok was smashed right back into his hole. He came back out, but was heavily damaged. Marill stood at a distance and stared at his opponent.

Krokorok was confused and Clay...

"Why you little whippersnapper! What's the deal with this Marill?! Is this some kind of joke?!"

"Huh? Nope...that's just how he is. No more, no less."

"Whatever, Krokorok! Stonedge!"

Krokorok began to form stones that crossed over both sides of his body. He then fired a barrage of stones towards Marill.

"Marill, dodge them by bouncing around on your tail!"

Marill soon began pogosticking around the field by bouncing an his tail. Stone after stone came his way, but he dodged all of them with relatively no difficutly at all. Marill hopped over the last one and was now above Krokorok.

"Aqua Jet!"

"Bulldoze!"

Both Pokemn clashed in the air after Krokorok took off from the ground. The resulting explosion covered the battlefield in dust. Small bits of debris fell down and the dust began to clear. Maril was standing there in front of a knocked out Krokorok. He bounced on over to Katsu with a grin on his face.

"Krokorok is unable to battle! Marill Wins!" The referee declared.

 _'I think, I like gym battles. They're a lot of fun!'_

 _'I'm just enjoying the looks everyone has right now...'_ Katsu sniggered.

Jay, Hugh and Alice blinked at the same time. Was this Marill, who statistically speaking, did _not_ have very good power output, doing more damage than it ought to be? None of it made any sense to them. Katsu had mentioned something to Jay about a strategy, but she didn't realize it had pretty much everything to do with Marill. He'd only just caught it recently for Arceus sake!

"Yer startin' to make me mad boy! You should fight me like a man instead off all that bouncin' around!" Clay growled, returning Krokorok.

"Sorry, Marill just loves to bounce. What can I say?"

"Really? Let's see if it likes to dance too! Palpitoad, here we gooo!"

Palpitoad hopped onto the field and gave a battle cry before looking at Marill.

"Yer not the only one who can play with water whippersnapper!"

"Marill, Aqua Jet!"

"Palpitoad, Hydro Pump!"

Palpitoad jumped back a good distance and began to gather the aquatic elements into his mouth. Sensing the power was sufficient he released a powerful blast of water towards Marill who was already right on top of him. Marill was pushed back by the blast but because he was already cloaked in water itself, it didn't really hurt him all that much, though the impact with the wall did. Marill pulled himself out of the wall and jumped down, glaring at Palpitoad with intimidation.

"Palpitoad, use Mud Bomb!"

"Bounce and then use Aqua Jet!"

Palpitoad gathered up the power of its second element and fired off a large ball of mud towards Marill. The water mouse launched himself off the ground with a high bounce and then cloaked himself in water, spinning on the way down before connecting harshly with Palpitoad. The Water/Ground-type was struck hard on the top of the head, causing his eyes to bulge for a moment from the eye-sockets, putting him in a daze.

"Now use Ice Punch!"

Marill gathered icy energies into his paw and cocked it back, thrusting it forwards with precision before ramming it into Palpitoad. The amphibian was shot backwards, crashing into a wall with a devasting impact.

When everyone looked. Palpitoad was unconscious and Marill was bouncing back towards Katsu. Clay was dumbstruck. He couldn't figure out how something so small and squishy could be steamrolling him right now. Hugh and Alice still had the same expression on their faces. It was all too priceless.

"That's it! I've hat it! You're about to find out what I can really do! I'm about to show you a Pokemon whose power is on a completely different level than my others! Go, Excadrill!"

The blade-headed mole appeared before Katsu in all his familiarity. A smirk crossed Katsu's features as he saw this. He knew how Excadrill worked and how powerful he could be because he _had_ an Excadrill.

"Alright Excadrill! Use Drill Run!"

 _'Figured...it's a very effective start...however...I know a way around that already...'_ Katsu smirked.

Excadrill folded his claws into the blade on his head and began to spin rapidly. It was obviously faster than Katsu's Excadrill due to the training he'd received. However...that in and of itself wasn't enough. Katsu was trained in the art of swordsmanship as well as other combative styles. Timing and accuracy was something he was good at among other things. Excadrill got closer and then...

"Marill, Bounce to get over him!"

Excadrill neared but Marill bounced high at the last second. He then utilized the momentum given to drive himself downwards and came crashing down upon Excadrill. The blade mole staggered at the impact and turned around, glaring at Marill.

"Excadrill! Bulldoze!"

"Aqua Jet!"

Excadrill obviously had the upper hand when it came to size and strength. The two collided with brutal force and the heavier of the two succeeded in knocking the lighter one back, sending Marill tumbling backwards.

"Now use Horn Drill!"

Excadrill's blade began to elongate and glow brightly. It was going to try for an instant knock out attack. It dashed towards Marill at incredible velocities, aiming to finish off the annoying little mouse.

Katsu smirked and waited once more for the proper timing. This move had horrible accuracy if the user wasn't close enough to pull it off. Clay must have been desperate to get rid of Marill because in his haste he probably forgot about it, and he was about to pay for it.

"Marill! Bounce up and use Aqua Jet and Ice Punch together!"

As Excadrill got in close, he slammed his blade head downwards only to miss as Marill bounced up at the last second. His blade head came out of the ground and he looked up to see Marill cloaking himself in water. The water wrapped around Marill like a lover and he rocketed downwards at increased acceleration, trading the elevation for more speed. Icy energies began to glow on Marill's paw as he rocketed downwards. The entire Aqua Jet iced over making it look like an ice nuke.

"OH NO!" Clay shouted.

CRASH!

The icy missile slammed into Excadrill and shattered, sending shards of icy all over the arena floor. The explosion resulted in dust and ice kicking up everywhere. When the dust settled, Marill was seen barely standing up and panting heavily. Excadrill was right under his feet, thoroughly concussed.

"Excadrill is unable to battle! Marill is the winner! Which means this match goes to Katsu Aiko!"

"Alright!" Katsu said as he pumped his fist into the air.

"What. The. Actual. Heck?" Alice stated, having no better words to say after what just occured.

Excadrill was muttering something unintelligible however if one listened closely it sounded like he was asking for a bus number.

Clay returned Excadrill and simply stood there in shock. What just happened? He couldn't come up with the right words to describe it. He'd just been swept...by a Marill. A. Marill. He had no excuses. He wouldn't be able to come up with any if he tried. He simply shook his head at himself and gave a smile.

"Well Katsu! That was somethin' else! What do you suppose you'd call that last attack?!" Clay said in his usual tone.

"Hmm...it was almost like a missile...maybe an ice nuke?" Katsu shrugged, looking up at the man with a chuckle.

"Well, whatever the heck it was, that was impressive! You've earned this, take it. The Quake Badge!" Clay said with a laugh.

Katsu took the badge and grinned as he looked down at Marill. The loveable little mouse hopped onto Katsu's head and stayed there. That, was his happy place. Nobody else would be able to invade it. The other blue boy could have his shoulder ride and so could the bird. But he would take the top spot.

"I must say, in all my years as a leader, I don't think anyone has ever done that before. You lot are more impressive than you look! What would you say to entering in the World Tournament?!"

Katsu and the others exchanged looks. They'd heard of it. Katsu dreamed of it. So you can imagine what his answer would be.

"Are you kidding?! That would be awesome!" Katsu grinned.

"I'm up for that. If it means getting stronger than I'm up for anything!"

"Me too, try to keep up boys!" Alice snickered.

Jay simply smiled as she watched the others talk amongst themselves. She'd heard of the tournament too and planned to enter it...secretly though. What? Just because she was the meek and quiet one of the group, didn't mean she couldn't battle right? A smirk crossed her features as she thought about it.

"Well, why don't'cha all follow me out of here and we can head on over to the stadium and get things started?!" Clay said as he led them out of the mines. They all climbed into the Elevator and were brought up to the top floor. They walked out of the gym and they were soon out in the open.

"The stadiums not too far from here, it's just south of the city. There's going to be tough trainers from all over gatherin' in that place. I figure you whippersnappers can get in there and give them a run for their money. After that experience, I can't help but wonder what else was in your arsenal Katsu."

"I guess you'll find out when you see us fight..." Katsu smiled.

"I guess you're right..." Clay nodded.

Katsu looked ahead of the group and spotted a familiar individual. It was Cheren. What was he doing here?"

"Hey, what's up Cheren?" Katsu asked as the group walked up to him.

"Oh, hey Katsu, how's it going?"

"Great, just got my fifth badge," Katsu smirked.

"That's great. I remember when collected the badges here in Unova. It was quite an experience," Cheren chuckled.

"No kidding. You used to be a traveling trainer too huh?"

"Yep...which is why I know so much about Team Plasma...but we'll talk about that later...I was invited here by Clay to participate. I was a little reluctant to sign up though...but he insisted..."

"That sounds about right..." Hugh interjected.

"Anyway, I'm guessing all of you are entering as well?"

"Yep...not sure about Jay here though..." Katsu said as he looked around for her, only to find that she was hiding behind him...again.

"Is...she okay?" Cheren asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, she's fine. She just gets this way around new people...oh, and when there are too many people around her."

"I see...I'm guessing the headphones are there for a reason?" Cheren pointed out.

"Yep...they are. I rather like how she looks with them. It's unique."

Jay blushed at this remark. He always said such nice things about her. She slowly stepped out from behind Cheren and nodded in greeting.

"H-hi..." She said with a soft smile.

"Hey, nice to meet you," Cheren said politely.

"So, when did you meet her? I don't remember seeing her with you."

"We met after I won my second badge in Virbank...it's a long story, but I never tire of telling it. But to cut it short, Jay here is amazing and I'll leave it at that," Katsu smirked.

Cheren nodded and then they all turned to walk into the World Tournament. Jay had silently asked Gen to sign her up, which he did under her full name, Jaycelyn Nalum while nobody was paying attention.

 **X-X-X**

"ANNNND WELCOME TO THE WORLD TOURNAMENT!" The announcer yelled out, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers.

There were camera crews all over and thousands of people in the stadium. Millions of fans tuned in to the station that it was on to watch the battles take place.

"It is time to get things under way! We have some returning faces from previous years as well as a fresh batch of new trainers! But only one of these 16 competeters will be able to claim complete victory! So why don't we get started with our first two combatants?!" The announcer roared.

"She's a film star from Castelia City! You've seen her on the big screen and now you can see her liiiiiive! Here she is, Alice 'The Great' Eleanora!"

The crowd erupted into a series of whistles and shouts. She obviously had fanboys because she was getting swooned over. She smirked at the attention she was grabbing and simply strutted onto the stage, flaunting her ego for all it was worth.

"And over here, we have a young girl from the Lacunosa area! She's small, and cute and her eyes sparkle more beautiful than any mineral you've ever seen. And they're unlike anything you've ever seen. Here she is, Jaycelyn Nalum!"

Alice's eyes popped. She was facing her?!

"What's the matter Alice? Surprised?" Jay smirked, her attitude completely changing from that of a timid girl to a confident battler.

Alice didn't know what to make of this situation. She'd never seen Jay fight before. She was hoping to face either Katsu or Hugh, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. What now?

 **Annnnnd stopping it right there! Some intense stuff is about to go down! That's right! Who will claim victory in this 3 on 3 battle?! Will it be the overconfident yet powerful, or Jay who now seemed unusually sure of herself?! I hope you all are ready because it. Just. Got. REAL! Find out what happens next time on Icy Wrath! Mango out!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm BAAAAAAACK! Did you all miss me? I missed you guys! So, last chapter...yeah, a ton of fun to write. Now it's time for the tournament to begin! The tournament will go on for several chapters! So it's not just going to be one entire chapter wrapped up into one. So, how did you like the little blue ball of death? Was he fun to watch? I hope you all enjoyed it because I loved writing it. And uh oh...Jay's got some confidence all of a sudden. What's up with that? Let's explore that shall we?! It's GAME TIME!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 21: The Tournament Begins!**

"What's the matter Alice? Surprised?" Jay giggled, suppressing an all out laugh as she looked at the shocked look on Alice's face. It was priceless.

"Y-y-you?! But, when did you sign up? I never saw you there!" Alice stammered.

"Eh? You should pay more attention. I signed up before any of you did," Jay smirked.

Katsu's eyes went wide as she saw Jay in the arena with Alice. This isn't exactly something he would expect her to do. The Jay he knew was rather shy, timid and awkward. And yet...there she stood, confident, composed and completely focused. Was this how she really was? Or was it just a part of her he'd never seen? Color it any way you want, she was still the same Jay...just a _heck_ of a lot more confident.

Jay stood across from Alice, smirking the entire time. She never had a look like that on her face. Katsu couldn't place it. And to be honest...he found it appealing. The shy little walking-accident-waiting-to-happen, was now up there, perfectly composed. Alice didn't know what to do with it either.

"Alright you two, are you ready?!

Alice nodded nervously, and Jay nodded as well.

"BEGIN!"

"Rif, you're up first!"

"Krokorok let's go!"

Krokorok stood across from the air-balloon-like Pokemon. He narrowed his eyes as he awaited his trainer's command. Rif simply floated in place, waiting to begin as well. Alice just couldn't place it. Jay was always so quiet, so timid...and so cute. She seemed like she wouldn't be the type to suddenly pull a move like this. It threw Alice off completely. Krokorok and Rif stared each other down for a long time, neither making a move. It was almost as if he felt the same confusion that Alice was feeling. Right now was not the time to be thinking that way though. He had a battle to fight and he didn't have time to be wasting, wondering what was going on.

 _'Use Phantom Force...'_

At that instant, Rif vanished underground without a trace. It was faster than Alice could track and it made her nervous. Where had Rif gone?

 _'Crap! Where'd he go? Ugh...this is going to be frustrating. If only I could track him down like Katsu could. Lucky little...no...I can't be losing focus now. I need to take command of this fight.'_

"Krokorok find that Drifblim and use Payback!"

Krokorok waited for Rif to appear which for the longest time didn't happen. Alice had almost forgotten that Jay didn't even verbally order her Pokemon to attack. From what she'd gathered from Dusk in those few instances...she could communicate via telepathy...just like Katsu, only she'd been doing it longer...A LOT longer. As Krokorok tried to pinpoint Rif's location, Rif appeared suddenly and slammed his arms harshly into the sides of Krokorok's head. This caused his eyes to pop as he was now being held in place.

' _End it with Shadow Ball!'_

Rif gathered ghostly energies where the yellow 'x' was, which was what could be assumed as his mouth, and fired a powerful ball of energy towards Krokorok. An explosion resulted thereof and Krokorok hit the floor with a loud _thud._

"Krokorok is unable to battle! Drifblim wins!" The referee pointed out, causing Alice to return her Krokorok.

 _'That Drifblim...it's so powerful...I...I don't know what just happened right then...'_ Alice thought as she looked over at the confident gaze of Jay.

 _'She's so cute and awkward...all the time, but now...I'm feeling something different here. Is this how she is when she battles?'_

"Servine, come on out!" Jay called out, sending out her favorite serpent.

Servine appeared on the field and stared the balloon down. Rif was indeed very powerful by the looks of things. She could feel that just by looking at her. The power coming from her was almost suppressing. Sweat trickled down the side of Servine's face a little as she looked at the Ghost-type.

 _'Stockpile!'_

"Servine, Vine Whip!"

Rif began to swell up a little as he seemed to fill himself with air. His defensive stats were suddenly boosted, making him tougher than he was previously. The vines came lashing out at Rif and he took the attack head-on as they wrapped around him. This was the chance that Alice had been waiting for, and she wasn't going to waste it.

"Now Energy Ball!"

Alice was counting on a stat drop as the ball was launched. There would be no such luck. The ball hit Rif directly but nothing changed. Rif simply floated there as the vines were drawn back.

' _Stockpile again!'_

There she went again, stat boosting. The special defensive stats and defensive stats were raised once more. Alice was in trouble, and she knew it, but she kept going.

"Vine Whip again and use Aqua Tail!"

Servine planted her feet and her vines shot out of her sides, lashing out at Rif. The vines circled around and reeled Rif in who was then promptly slammed with an Aqua Tail. This did more damage which Alice was thankful for. Rif was starting to look a little out of it. She just needed to keep up her offensive measures.

' _Stockpile once more!'_

"Fling it with your vines and use Energy Ball!" Alice countered.

Servine flung Rif across the field. The camera followed Rif as he was flung and watched as Servine loosed an energy ball right as Rif finished up the Stockpile. The stats were raised right as the ball hit him. At this point, Rif was looking a bit worse for wear but Jay didn't seem the least bit worried. What was with her confidence all of a sudden?

"It looks like Alice is making a comeback everyone! Can she keep this up?!" The announcer shouted.

"Looks like Rif isn't all that after all is he?" Alice smirked.

"Actually, that's where you're wrong. I've had Rif since he was an egg. Do you actually think he would be beaten like this? Rif use Swallow!"

She spoke the command this time, mainly for the effect that it would have. And oh the look on Alice's face when she heard that... _priceless._ Alice's face paled at this. All the damage she had just done was for absolutely nothing. With Rif back up to full strength and his stats normalized, Alice knew she was in trouble.

"But...but I just...he was..." Alice sputtered.

" _Phantom Force_!"

Alice could only look on as Rif vanished and then reappeared almost a second later, slamming his arms into Servine to keep hold of her.

" _Shadow Ball_!"

"Energy Ball!"

Servine struggled to move and fired off a stray Energy Ball that missed the target completely. She was blasted in the face with a Shadow Ball to add onto the severe damage she'd suffered from Phantom Force. The cloud of smoke that appeared settled to reveal a knocked out Servine.

"Servine is unable to battle! Drifblim wins!" The referee declared.

Alice returned Servine and simply stared at Jay who had one hand on her hip while another was down at her side. She smirked as she looked over at Alice. This was the one thing she could really let loose in. Battling was where the shy and timid Jay left the scene and the confident and strong Jay took to the stage.

"Jay...I never knew you were this good. Why didn't you tell any of us?" Alice asked her curiously.

"Huh? Well, none of you ever asked me. I usually don't talk much as it is..." Jay said with a faint smile.

"I see. Very well then. Flaffy, you're up!"

The electric sheep appeared onto the battlefield and her tail lit up brightly, her body sparking with electricity. Flaffy looked up at Rif who had no signs of fatigue whatsoever. He was looking well in spite of having battled twice in a row. And it didn't look like he was going to be recalled. Dusk and Gen were by her side, invisible of course, waiting to see if she would use them. Then again, Rif was arguably her strongest. She'd had him since he was just an egg after all. Gen and Dusk were also equally on par with Rif.

 _'She's really putting on a show isn't she?'_

 _'Well...this is how she gets when she battles.'_

 _'You're right Dusk, and it looks like Katsu over there is all over it...'_

 _'Oh?'_

 _'Take a look, he's been looking like that for the longest time. His eyes are in such a focused state, I can tell he's not concentrating on anything else but her...'_

 _'He's analyzing her...and that's smart. Jay is a talented battler and he never knew that. Now he's figuring out for himself what she can do.'_

 _'And also...I picked his brain a bit...he's totally checking her out...'_

 _'I don't blame him...'_

"Flaffy, use Thunderbolt!"

Flaffy called upon the power of her element, wrapping the energy around her body in a loving embrace before firing off several volts of electricity towards Rif. This was where Jay needed to be careful. Rif was weak to electric type moves and getting hit by any of them would be less than ideal.

 _'Be careful, avoid it and use Shadow Ball.'_

 _'Right!'_

Rif avoided the blast of thunder as it ripped across the battlefield, hitting the edge of the arena. The crowd was cheering wildly as the battle continued. Rif aimed an orb of ghostly energy towards Flaffy, the attack barely missing after the little sheep moved to the side. Flaffy and Rif began to trade blows with Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt. All the while, Katsu was studying Jay intently.

 _'This could be problematic. She's very strong...stronger than Alice it seems. For as long as I've known Alice, which isn't too long...she's not lost a fight. And now? She's down to her last Pokemon and Jay hasn't even lost one. She mentioned she had Rif since he was an egg...does that mean he's her strongest? And what about Gen and Dusk? They're also very strong...this is making me nervous. Yet at the same time? I'm excited. This is going to be fun...'_ Katsu thought with a grin.

Flaffy had taken damage from a Shadow Ball that made a clean connection with her face. She was shaken up badly by the assault as it had lowered her special defense greatly. Flaffy was breathing heavily while Rif looked perfectly fine. Alice didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lose. She was Alice The Great! She didn't lose to anyone. So what was going on here? Not only was she losing...but this was being _televised._ She was a star and everyone knew her as a top notch contender and an actress. And here she was, losing to Jay, of all people. This...was embarrassing.

"Flaffy! Wild Charge!"

 _'Phantom Force...'_

Flaffy's wooly body crackled with electricity as she generated the power of her element. She then broke off in a sprint towards Rif who was hovering dangerously low. It was almost as if Rif were taunting Flaffy. Before Flaffy could make any contact, Rif had vanished from sight. Flaffy skidded to a stop, panicking as she looked around. She'd never seen this move before so she wouldn't know how to react to it.

 _'Okay...I know what she's going to do...she'll grab hold and use Shadow Ball on Flaffy to try to end it. If I let Phantom Force connect, it will hurt Flaffy a lot. However...I think she can hang on long enough to light Rif up like a Christmas tree. It's risky...but I simply cannot lose!'_

Before Flaffy could do anything, Rif appeared swiftly and slammed his hands onto Flaffy, grabbing her by the skull. Flaffy struggled to get out of the grip of Rif but his strength was too much.

 _'Stockpile...'_

"Flaffy, Thunderbolt!"

Rif sucked in air and swelled up a little. His defenses were boosted considerably right as Flaffy loosed a powerful Thunderbolt through his body, causing him to cringe and writhe as the shock went through him. Rif didn't let go of Flaffy even though he was hit with his weakness. Rif still held on!

 _'That's not what I thought he'd do at all!'_ Alice despaired.

 _'Shadow Ball...'_

Rif gathered the powers of the supernatural into the center of his body before expelling it outwards, shooting a powerful orb of ghostly energy towards Flaffy. The blast hit the bleating sheep and exploded, rocking the arena. Jay stood there confidently as the smoke from the blast began to recede. Rif was still floating around while Flaffy...was down for the count. Alice had lost. Katsu looked at the scene with widened eyes. Hugh was taken aback as well. Alice was out of the competition.

"AND JAY COMES OUT ON TOP! After an astounding display of skill, she managed to defeat Alice without losing a single Pokemon! What an impressive battle this was. Jay will move on to the next round!" The crowd went nuts.

Jay smiled as she walked to the center of the arena to meet Alice. She extended her hand for Alice to take. Alice sweat-dropped as she reached out and shook it. That was the first time she'd ever been trounced in a battle like that. It was simply unbelievable.

"That was very impressive Jay. I have to admit...I wasn't expecting you to be so strong. You are an incredible battler. How come you don't take the League challenge yourself?"

"Errrm...well...I don't really have much of an interest in it. I mean...maybe one day I might consider it but, right now, I'm just glad to be on a journey and having fun," Jay smiled.

"I see...well, good luck in the next round. I'd feel bad for whoever you get paired with next. They have no clue how strong you are. Anyway, I'm gonna go find a seat and cheer you on," Alice chuckled.

Jay blushed at this. Someone was actually going to cheer her on? Then again...she could hear the crowd cheering and some were chanting her name afterwards. This sudden realization caused her to smile inwardly. Sure, she was nervous around other people, but in battle, it was her happy place...as well as being near Katsu. As she thought of him, her eyes shifted towards the sidelines only to find him staring at her. He had a very determined look on his features. She had just set the bar _very_ high for him. She could feel his desire to challenge her emanating from him. A smirk crossed her features as she made her way towards the back room where her Pokemon could be healed up. She'd gained his attention in the battle! This made her giddy. She was now hoping for the chance to fight him.

 **X-X-X**

"So...Katsu...what did you think of that fight? I never knew Jay was that good."

"Neither did I Hugh...it makes me a bit nervous now. However, I do have a strategy in place for her."

"What makes you so certain you'll get to her? What if I beat you first?" Hugh grinned.

"Heh...we'll see about that Hugh. Let's just see what the next battle is going to be, shall we?" Katsu smirked.

"Hey, Katsu!" A familiar voice shouted out, causing Katsu to turn around.

"Oh, hey Maikeru, I didn't know you were here too..."

"Yep. I couldn't pass this up either. So, did you see that first match? Jay totally wrecked Alice. I can't say I was expecting it, considering she hides behind you and comes off rather shy."

"Yeah...well, she hasn't been as shy lately. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that her fight was impressive."

"Can't argue with that one Katsu...hopefully we'll meet in the ring. I'd like to get the chance to battle you."

"Me too Maikeru...good luck with whoever you face."

"Thanks Katsu..." Maikeru smirked.

 **X-X-X**

"Annnnnnd it's time for the next battle! Our first two battlers were a treat to watch. Now it's time for the next fight! Let's introduce our trainers shall we?! Coming from Asperita City, he's a boy who has ambition. He lives to protect his sister and family! Please welcome, Hugh!"

Hugh stepped out onto the platform with a confident expression. He had no idea who he would be up against as his opponent was chosen at random and placed on a board which was now appearing on the screen.

"And also haling from Asperita City, you all know him well enough as he starred in Riolu Boy as the hero himself! His debut made ratings skyrocket and it appears he now has a fan page similar to that of Alice!"

 _'Wait...since when did I?...Stu Deeoh...'_ Katsu grumbled mentally as he looked out into the cheering crowd.

"Give a warm welcome to Riolu Boy himself, Katsu Aiko!" The announcer boomed, causing the fans to begin to cheer wildly. Some of the girls in the crowd who had spotted him signing up made signs for him. The typical 'I LOVE KATSU' signs appeared which caused him to cringe.

Jay, who was now on the sidelines grimaced at this. Not knowing what she was doing, her psychic powers kicked in and the sign was torn down the center. Gen and Dusk blinked as they observed what Jay had done.

 _'Uh...Jay? Was that really necessary?'_

 _'Uh...umm...sorry! I don't know why I did that. I don't know what got into me...'_ Jay replied to Dusk with quivering lips.

 _'She's jelly...'_

 _'Very, Gen...very...'_

Katsu stood across from his childhood friend. The camera crew was making sure to get a good shot of this battle. Both combatants were silent for the most part. Each of them reached for their first Pokemon, almost as if they were trying to predict who the other would use.

"Are you two ready?!" The announcer called out, getting a nod from both Katsu and Hugh.

"Begin!"

"Tranquill, let's go!"

"Rufflet you're up!"

Tranquill erupted from his Pokeball and soared high above the arena, his eyes scanning the field as Rufflet was released from his ball. The shimmering aura that radiated from Rufflet was more than enough of an entrance. Some audience members gaped at the sight. Katsu paid no attention to this as his sole focus was on Hugh. The power advantage was definitely in Katsu's favor. Tranquill were known to be only _slightly_ faster. It was rather funny, considering Rufflet wasn't evolved. Hugh had seen the power that Rufflet boasted but he wasn't aware of the newer moves that Rufflet had obtained.

"Tranquill, use Quick Attack!"

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

Tranquill darted forwards, tucking his wings in so he could achieve a more aerodynamic form as he accelerated. Rufflet spread his wings and raced towards Tranquil, knowing that this was going to be a battle of speed versus power. The two collided in the air and repelled off one another, Tranquill taking more damage due to the power advantage Rufflet had over him.

 _'Well...that's just great. Even though Tranquil is evolved, Rufflet still has a power advantage. This is going to be tricky...I need to find a way to beat him...'_

"Rufflet use Tailwind!"

"Tranquill, Air Slash now!"

Rufflet flapped his wings furiously, whipping up a tailwind that boosted his speed by a significant amount. Now, he had the speed advantage and one could bet that Katsu was going to take advantage of it. Tranquill spread his wings and channeled the power of the winds into his body, causing his wings to glow before he slammed them together, sending out a burst of wind that sliced through the air like butter. The attack barely missed Rufflet as he took advantage of the Tailwind he'd created and avoided it.

 _'Great...he was already strong, now he's faster...this is going to be harder now...'_

"Aerial Ace!"

"Steel Wing!"

Hugh blinked at this. Since when did Rufflet know that? Then again, there was a brief period of time where Katsu had an extra stay in Nimbasa City. Maybe he picked it up there. This was not going to end well for Tranquill. Rufflet's wings glowed brightly, taking on a steel-like sheen as they were spread out, ready to clip Tranquill. The two birds collided and as expected, Rufflet's hardened wings crashed roughly with Tranquill, sending him sprawling downwards. Due to Rufflet's Sheer Force ability, Steel Wing's power was magnified by thirty percent. Tranquill struggled to maintain altitude but was having a hard time of it.

"Steel Wing one more time!"

Rufflet screeched loudly and took a nosedive, picking up the wind as he rode it down towards Tranquill.

"Pull up Tranquill!" Hugh shouted.

Tranquill had just started pulling up when he was slammed into by Rufflet. The two crashed into the arena floor with Rufflet pinning Tranquill by the neck. The force of the blow coupled with the impact that was made on the floor was too much for Tranquill to handle. He couldn't go on and passed out.

"Tranquill is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" The referee announced.

Hugh returned Tranquill to his ball and sighed to himself. He then glanced over at Katsu with a smirk.

"Looks like you were ready weren't you? I had no idea he knew those moves. I guess you did some serious training huh?" Hugh chuckled.

"Yep, Rufflet and I worked out a few strategies while we were waiting for this to begin. Your Tranquill is impressive, keep training him and he'll be quite a contender for Rufflet."

"I'm gonna beat that little bird of yours Katsu! And I know just how to do it, Simisear, let's go!"

The crimson monkey appeared on the field with a determined expression. Fire shown in his eyes as he stared up at Rufflet. This battle was going to be an intense one and he knew it.

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

Rufflet screeched loudly and dove for Simisear, his wings tucked into his body as he aimed to connect. For some reason, Hugh hadn't made a move yet. This was a little unsettling. What was he waiting for. As Rufflet got closer, a smirk appeared on Hugh's face.

"Fire Blast!"

 _'So that's what he was doing!'_ Katsu thought, rather taken aback by this attack.

Simisear opened his mouth wide and fired a five point blast towards Rufflet who took it at point blank range. An explosion rocked the arena which sent Rufflet plummeting to the ground with a loud CRASH! When the smoke cleared, Rufflet was struggling to remain standing. He wasn't able to get up and soon passed out due to taking one of the most powerful fire attacks at close range.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Simisear wins!" The referee announced.

Katsu chuckled softly to himself as he returned Rufflet.

"It's alright Rufflet, you did your best...you deserve some rest. Your friends will take it from here..."

"So. Katsu. What now? Simisear is one of my best next to Dewott, I hope you have something up your sleeve to deal with him," Hugh grinned.

"Oh...trust me...I do..." Katsu grinned deviously.

 **X-X-X**

Jay was watching the match intently. She had seen Katsu's skill dozens of times and knew his strategies like the back of her hand. She giggled to herself as she knew who he was reaching for. Zorua, now called Zor by his new companions, was resting in Jay's arms. Alice was next to her since she couldn't find a seat in the stands.

"Don't tell me...he's going to use _him_ isn't he?" Alice said nervously, remembering the bouncing blue terror.

"I have a feeling...yes...and Hugh isn't going to like it..."

"What are you two talking about?" Maikeru interrupted.

"Oh...nothing. It's just that Katsu is about to be really mean here..." Alice sweat-dropped.

"What's he gonna do? Telepathy with Riolu?"

"No...worse..." Alice cringed.

 **X-X-X**

"Marill, let's go!"

Marill bounced onto the field in his usual joyful manner before landing on his feet. He glanced back at Katsu with a smile.

 _'Ooo, are we in a battle? And...it's against a Simisear huh?'_

 _'Yep...I thought I'd give you some more play time after the gym battle. I want to make sure you get in some more training, so I thought, why not here?'_

 _'I see...this should be fun then!'_

Hugh groaned as he saw Marill was now on the field. He wasn't prepared for that little blue ball of fury. Sure, Marill was cute and cuddly on the outside. But he was a _terror._

"Aqua Jet!"

"Let it get in close then use Flamethrower!"

Before Simisear could even gather the energy and plant his feet, Marill barreled into him. Marill's frame was cloaked in aquatic energies which collided with Simisear's body at full force. Simisear stumbled backwards, struggling to regain footing after feeling like he'd been hit by a semi.

"Flamethrower again!"

"Dig and use Aqua Jet!"

Simisear opened his mouth wide, fire crackling in his mouth in the process before he loosed a powerful stream of flames towards Marill. The little blue mouse dove underground quickly, barely avoiding the flames as they missed his tail. Using Aqua Jet to propel himself underground, he shot out underneath Simisear like a geyser and sent the red monkey flying skyward. Simisear crashed into the ground in a heap. Marill bounced off of the unconscious monkey's head and bounded towards Katsu.

"Simisear is unable to battle! Marill wins!"

 _'That was quick...'_

 _'Well, that's what happens with Huge Power. I get a boost where I lack it. So, who's next?'_

 _'I'm guessing it'll be Dewott...he's a Water-type like you so it could take a while...'_

 _'Figures...well, I'll do my best.'_

"Katsu! That ability of Marill's is so stupid!" Hugh shouted frustratedly.

"Huh? You know it?"

"Duh! I checked the abilities it could have and there is only one that could make it that ridiculous. Huge Power!"

Katsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"You're way too lucky sometimes, you know that?!" Hugh grumbled.

"I can't help it! It's not like I ask for it!" Katsu shouted back with a laugh.

"Well that luck is going to dry up sooner or later. Dewott, let's go partner!"

Dewott surged onto the field with confidence. The otter glanced over at Marill with mild curiosity. Marill were not known for their combat prowess, however...this one seemed different. As the fight was about to begin, suddenly, a red beam of light retracted Marill. Katsu smiled softly to himself as he picked up Liepard's ball instead.

"What's the matter Katsu? Afraid Dewott will mop the floor with Marill?"

"No...they're both water types and that fight would take forever. Liepard, let's go!"

The mischevious purple feline leapt onto the arena floor gracefully. Her head was held high and she had a confident air about her. This was her time to shine. Katsu smirked as he glanced back at Dewott. He knew Liepard had the speed advantage here.

"Dewott, Razor Shell!"

"Feint Attack!"

Dewott grabbed hold of his shell and channeled aquatic energies into the framework of the shell, creating a blade. Dewott then raced forwards and lashed out at Liepard, aiming to strike across her shoulder. Liepard, however, would not be such an easy target. Her body faded from view just as quickly as Dewott approached. Suddenly, she reappeared and slashed across Dewott's back, sending him to the ground. Dewott got back up and glared at Liepard who grinned deviously back at him.

 _'Liepard is one of Katsu's strongest. Maybe not in terms of actual power output but in speed. There are very few that I have that can match her. All I have left is Dewott...this is going to be an uphill battle...but I have to win. I have to get stronger!'_

 _'Sucker Punch!'_

"Aqua Jet!"

Dewott began to cloak himself in water and was about to make a charge when Liepard suddenly converged upon him and slammed her claws into his frame. The force of the blow sent Dewott to the ground once morel. Normally, Aqua Jet had priority, but since Sucker Punch was also a priority increased move, the speed of both parties determined the outcome.

Dewott struggled to get up once more, turning to face Liepard with a snarl.

 _'I get it now...he knew that Marill wouldn't be able to out-speed Dewott. Katsu needed someone fast and he chose to use Liepard so that he could have the advantage. Well...if that don't beat all...'_ Hugh thought to himself as he watched Dewott panting heavily after having the wind knocked out of him.

 _'But I'm not giving up no matter what!'_

"Dewott, use Aqua Jet and follow it up with Razor Shell!"

"Avoid it with Feint Attack!"

Dewott was quicker at this point and lashed out at Liepard with a powerful combo, slamming the slick feline into the ground. Liepard struggled to push herself to her feet and managed to stand after taking a heavy assault.

 _'Hugh must really want to win this...I can see it in his eyes. However, Liepard and I aren't about to go down easily...sorry Hugh, but I'm taking this match.'_

"Feint Attack, then use Night Slash!"

"Use Razor Shell!"

Liepard vanished faster than Dewott could power up his shell. She silently moved through the shadows. Predator mode was active as she stealthily came up behind Dewott. In two swift motions, it was all over. Her glowing violet claws connected with Dewott's backside and flattened him. Dewott was out cold.

"Dewott is unable to battle! Liepard wins and that means Katsu moves on!" The referee announced.

"What a battle! For a moment it looked like Dewott was making a comeback but Liepard's speed was just too much! Give our competitors a hand!" The announcer shouted.

The crowd broke into cheers as Katsu and Hugh left the arena.

"We will now take a fifteen minute break! After that, we will start the next round!"

Several people in the crowd began to file out of the stands to take a break. Katsu and the others were standing in the sign-up room where refreshments were being served. Katsu healed up his Pokemon and was now ready for another round whenever that would be.

"That was a good fight Katsu. It seems you're getting stronger each day, even though I managed to get ahead of you in badges at one point, you still caught up."

"Well...I wasn't going to let you get too far ahead of me Hugh, you know me by now..." Katsu smirked.

"Yep...lucky punk. First it's a _shiny_ Rufflet, then you get to star in a movie, and now a Marill with Huge Power. You're seriously too lucky to be human. Sometimes I wonder about you Katsu," Hugh laughed.

Jay simply laughed at the two as they talked back and forth. Upon hearing this, Katsu turned and glanced over at Jay, a smile now resting on his features. Jay's heart practically skipped as she saw this. On the arena floor, she was confident...but out here? She was working on it. She still blushed profusely when he smiled at her.

"Hey...that was quite a battle you had out there. I had no idea how skilled you were. You've got me rather nervous now Jay..." Katsu chuckled.

"R-really? Heh...I guess I should have made you more aware of my skills...I guess I just feel...well...you know..." Jay stammered.

"It's okay...but seriously Jay. You're a great trainer. Sometimes, I don't think you give yourself nearly enough credit. You're awesome..." Katsu smiled.

Jay didn't know what to say to that. He'd complimented her before. She'd been called beautiful by him and now it was awesome. She was still getting used to the kindness he was showing her. She so badly wanted to repay him for the wonderful things he'd done for her. She looked down at Zor with a contented smile. She had to find a way to top this gift. He already set the bar high with the stamp collection. Zor, was overkill. As if she wasn't crushing on him enough as it was, he _had_ to raise the bar a little higher than her short self could reach.

"Th-thank you Katsu..." She said softly, stroking Zor over the head lightly.

 _'So...uh...for the record...is she your-'_

 _'Zor...not a word...'_ Katsu chuckled mentally.

 _'Sorry.'_

 **And that's a wrap for this chapter! So, what did you think? Quite interesting to see Jay letting loose in a battle huh? Betcha weren't expecting that were ya! Okay...maybe you were. Anyway, it's good to be back after a week of leaving you all wondering what was going to happen next. Well, there you have it. Jay is a fireball ready to burn through the competition. It seems Maikeru is also in the fight and to the one who submitted the newer OC, his bout is coming up! Curious as to what will unfold next? Keep watch! Next time on Icy Wrath!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Aloha again everyone! How goes it? Did you all enjoy the first chapter of the week? I hope so. I wanted to show a little more of Jay's confidence. I was informed by her creator PG-13 that she really lets loose in a fight. She will show more of that. She may be shy and timid outside of the arena, but when in battle, watch out! The first round of battles comes to a close and now it's time to begin the second bout! Let's see how Maikeru does against his opponent! The new OC, courtesy of jj4life015, will be in the second round but due to plot he will be facing someone different than who I originally intended. This is bound to be an interesting showdown! Let's see how the two new OC's throw down shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 22: Round Two!**

A young man, around Katsu's age, stood in the lobby as everyone was conversing. He stood around 5'11" and wore a sleeveless black and red martial arts top. He wore pants to match and had on sandals as well. He'd won his bout in the other block and was looking to move on to the next fight. His eyes were locked onto Katsu. Yes, he'd heard of the new movie star and had seen the movie when it came out. Something didn't sit right with him though.

Critics said that the effects in the movie were simply special effects and nothing more. But he knew they weren't. He knew special effects, and those were most certainly _not_ special effects. The young man observed what Katsu had on him and noticed a bokken along with a sword. He could also see that Katsu was built like a martial artist, just like himself. He remembered the one small scene in the movie where he sparred with Riolu. That spar was incredibly realistic and he'd be right if he said that it was the real deal.

The young boy considered Katsu right then, to be a worthy opponent should they face off in the arena. His eyes shifted to the timid looking girl beside Katsu. She had her headphones in at this time and was apparently listening to music. The boy could just barely pick up a hint of a different presence on both sides of Jay. He couldn't make them out, but he knew that something else was there. Jay was incredibly strong. His team would not exactly be able to contend with her Drifblim very easily. That was the thing. He didn't know what else she had. All he saw was Rif overpowering the opposition as if it were nothing.

He would need to be _very_ careful, should he ever run into her.

 **X-X-X**

The crowd began to fill up again as many spectators fixated their attention on the field with anticipation. They had no clue what was going to happen next. The announcer made his way onto the arena floor and tapped the microphone.

"Alright! The intermission is over and it's time to begin again! Let's recap shall we?! The first match was between Jaycelyn Nalum and Alice Eleanora! Jay ended up steamrolling Alice and claimed victory rather quickly! The next bout was between two childhood friends, Hugh and Katsu! Hugh put up a valiant effort but Katsu proved to be too much and won out in the end! In the other block, Colress trounced his competition with little effort as well! He shocked the audience with his skills and his opposition couldn't handle it.

In the same block, Maikeru tore through his adversary and is now ready for another round. And then there's Goken! His style of battling knocked out the competition rather swiftly! It's going to be quite a matchup here folks! And let's not forget the Gym Leader of Asperita City! Cheren! His Pokemon are doing rather well for his first time in a long time of competing anywhere! He did real well in the league a few years ago and now he's back making his debut in the World Tournament!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as the names were announced one after the other. The talent being shown was incredible. Several of the other competitors were now in the stands watching.

"Without further ado, let's get the next battle underway! To my left, we have the contender from Lacunosa Town, Maikeru! And to my right, we have the man with an ambition that knows no bounds. He seeks to be able to bring out the power of his Pokemon in this fight. Introducing, Colress!" The announcer shouted.

Colress gazed across at his opponent. He was hoping to be able to fight Katsu so he could gather more information. Alas, that wasn't going to happen it seemed. Colress sighed softly and stepped out onto the arena and adjusted his lab coat. Maikeru looked over at him as well, curious as to what he would be facing. He'd seen Colress use only two of his Pokemon and he had no idea what the third could be.

"Trainers! Are you ready?!"

Both Maikeru and Colress nodded. Silence reigned fr a little while before the announcer raised his hand high.

"Then, begin!"

"Absol, let's go!"

"Klang, I summon you!"

The rotating cogs spun out onto the field, facing down the seeker of disaster himself. The gears grinded against one another as they floated in the air. Absol looked up at Klang with an amused expression. Steel-types were not his thing, but he'd have to manage for now.

"Absol, Swords Dance!"

"Klang, Mirror Shot!"

Absol lowered his stance a little, channeling his power through his body. He soon expelled it outwards and the sound of clashing blades filled the air as swords danced around his frame. The power boost would prove sufficient for the moment. Klang rotated its cogs and fired off a powerful blast of metalic energy towards Absol who promptly dodged it.

"Now use Superpower!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Klang wasn't able to charge up fast enough to deal with Absol's speed. The crafty feline-like Pokemon converged upon him and unleashed a devastating assault on the rotating cogs, sending it to the ground in a heap.

"Klang is unable to battle! Absol wins!" The referee declared.

Colress, having figured out Absol's strength, returned Klang to his ball and grinned.

"I see...maybe there is some potential in you as well Maikeru. Yes...perhaps I ought to study you in this match as well..." Colress smirked.

"And what do you mean by that?" Maikeru inquired, watching as Colress took out his tablet and typed something into it.

"Oh...you'll find out in due time. Magneton, this battle is yours!"

Magneton hovered onto the arena floor, the magnets rotating as it observed Absol. Superpower was a great move, however it had some _serious_ drawbacks. Colress knew this which was why he didn't care that Klang lost the first bout. Absol was clearly one of Maikeru's strongest. He'd seen it in battle and had already formulated a strategy that would be able to take it down.

"We'll see about that, won't we Absol?" Maikeru called out.

Absol nodded and turned back towards Magneton, who hovered in wait.

"Absol, Megahorn, let's go!"

Absol managed to get in close, however this was exactly what Colress wanted. Magneton had the ability Analytic. Magneton was able to avoid the powerful Bug-type move at just the right time so he could be facing the back of Absol.

"Gyro Ball!"

Magneton spun itself around at breakneck speeds, and then flung a massive ball of steel energy towards Absol. The attack connected with brutal force due to the increased power from Magneton's ability and the fact that Magneton was slower than Absol, therefore making the Gyro Ball deal several times more damage than usual. The defensive drop that Absol obtained didn't help his case much either. It was a solid knockout.

Maikeru returned Absol and sighed. He wasn't expecting that fight to turn out how it did but then again, he knew using that move was risky right off the bat. At least the score was even right now.

"Sawk! Your turn!" Maikeru called out.

Sawk appeared on the field in a martial arts gi, tightening his belt and flexing his biceps. His power was said to increase the more he tightened his belt. Sawk was one of his strongest by far. Albeit Sawk was a little aloof and didn't really do much, save for train and battle when needed.

"Sawk, use Retaliate!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Colress was slightly confused at this maneuver. Retaliate was a Normal-type move that did double the damage if the Pokemon that went before the user, fainted. This was a good move in theory, however...Magneton was a Steel-type. The move shouldn't do too much damage, should it? Apparently he was wrong. Sawk swiftly closed the distance between him and Magneton and slammed his fist hard into the floating hunk of steel, sending it skidding along the ground. Magneton rose up and struggled to stay afloat for a moment before regaining its barrings.

"Thunderbolt again!"

"Avoid it and use Brick Break!"

Magneton conjured up several volts of electricity from within its framework and channeled them into the magnets on either side of its body. The magnets spun around and lightning sliced across the arena floor, missing Sawk by mere inches as he delivered a powerful downward strike which sent the pile of magnets to the ground.

"Magneton is unable to battle! Sawk wins!" The referee announced.

"That was impressive. Your Sawk displays great strength indeed. Yes...this information is good. But I think it's time we quit playing around and get down to business...Beheeyem, I beckon you!"

This was definitely trouble. The brown, extraterrestrial Pokemon hobbled out onto the field and looked out from beneath the rim of his head. His eyes glowed a bright green and they were focused on Sawk. Not many had seen a Beheeyem so they wouldn't know what to expect. But judging by the way things looked, Maikeru didn't like it. Beheeyem was a psychic type. This was definitely bad news for him.

"Beheeyem...Trick Room!"

 _'Crap!'_ Maikeru thought as he heard the attack signaled.

"Sawk, use Low Sweep!"

Beheeyem's green eyes began to glow brightly and suddenly a pink transparent box appeared on the arena. This was going to complicate things as it made it so that Beheeyem was the faster Pokemon. Sawk lost his speed advantage.

"Now use Psychic..." Colress commanded.

Sawk charged towards Beheeyem with vicious intent. But due to the speed advantage that Beheeyem had gained due to Trick Room, Sawk wasn't going to be fast enough. Sawk was lifted up into the air, unable to move due to the powerful grip that Beheeyem held him in. He was taking severe damage and was unable to move.

"Psyshock..."

Beheeyem obeyed, channeling power into his frame which expelled outwards towards Sawk. Several balls of psychic energy hovered around Sawk, circling around him like vultures spotting a meal. Sawk was soon barraged with multiple blasts of psychic energy and slammed into the arena floor. Sawk was out cold after that assault. A red beam of energy shot onto the field and absorbed Sawk, returning him to his ball.

"Well...that didn't go as planned...it's alright though Sawk. You did your best...get some rest."

"It appears we are tied again, this last round will determine the match. I do hope you'll have more to offer me..." Colress stated firmly.

"Trust me...we're not out of this yet...Archeops, you're up!"

The rock bird soared onto the field in a confident manner, zipping over the crowd so everyone could see her. She spread her wings majestically, screeching at the top of her lungs as she hovered above the arena floor. Maikeru palmed his face at his showoff of a bird. She always tried to get attention in any way that she could.

"You seem to have a rather confident Pokemon, and she's an ancient one too by the looks of things...very nice indeed. But will she be able to defeat Beheeyem?"

"She may be rather overconfident, but I'm very sure of her skills..." Maikeru smirked.

"Let's see how well she does then..." Colress smirked, taking down data on his tablet.

"Stone Edge!"

Colress stood there and watched as Archeops began to call upon the power of Mother Nature, forming massive stones around her majestic frame. She closed her wings and then opened them swiftly, sending the stones hurtling towards Beheeyem. The extraterrestrial Pokemon simply stood there until the time was right and then moved quickly out of the way. Trick Room was still in effect which meant he had the upper hand.

"Rock Slide!"

Once again, Colress did nothing. He didn't even command Beheeyem to initiate an assault. The Trick Room would wear off soon which meant he could put his plan into action. He knew Maikeru didn't want Archeops to get in close to Beheeyem or she'd be caught in a trap due to Trick Room. However, once it wore off, her speed would return and she'd be able to take advantage of that. Beheeyem wasn't able to avoid the rocks in time and they slammed hard onto him, causing him to fall backwards.

Colress seemed undeterred as he watched the Trick Room vanish.

"Looks like your Trick Room is down. And I think it's about time we put an end to this match. Archeops, do your thing! Aerial Ace!"

Archeops flapped her wings powerfully before diving towards Beheeyem, utilizing her superior speed to close the distance. A smirk crossed Colress's visage as he waited for her to get closer.

"Thunderbolt..."

That single command echoed in Maikeru's ears as he watched Archeops draw closer. Beheeyem opened his eyes and began channeling electrical elements through his body. Soon, a powerful blast of lightning split the air as it shot upwards towards Archeops. Due to the power of Beheeyem's ability and the action on Arcehops's part, the attack struck with devastating force, sending Archeops spiraling to the ground, crashing in a heap of feathers. She was out cold.

"What an upset! It looked like Maikeru had the win but a quick strategy by Colress turned it around! Colress moves on to the next round!"

Maikeru returned Archeops and sighed. So he lost huh? That was alright he supposed. It was a tough fight. Beheeyem was quite a handful to deal with it seemed. He wasn't expecting the Thunderbolt which was why he lost.

"I learned a lot from that battle...Maikeru. You have shown me more of what I wanted to know. However...I am still looking for more answers," Colress stated, extending his hand.

"Errr...thanks?" Maikeru said as he shook Colress's hand.

The crowd loved their battle and showed it by cheering even louder. The announcer waited for them all to quiet down before announcing the next two combatants.

"Well, there you have it folks! Colress is moving on. Now, our next two combatants are sure to put on a good show! She proved to be quite a strong contender in the first round, and now she's here again to prove her worth! Let's welcome back, Jaycelyn Naaaaaaaaaaalllluuummmm!" The announcer shouted.

Jay blushed deeply at the usage of her full name. She breathed in deep and then walked out confidently onto the field to face her next opponent.

"And over here, you've seen him once or twice if you've been to Asperita City for your League Challenge. He's made his debut here for the first time and hopefully not the last. It's our very own Unova League Gym Leader, Cheren!"

Cheren strode confidently out onto the field, adjusting his glasses as he observed Jay. Already this match was going to be an interesting one. The types that he used had absolutely no effect on hers, then again...neither did hers have any effect on his. Well, as far as their type specific moves were concerned. He only knew about her Drifblim which seemed to constantly be out. Cheren had the Pokemon he used for the gym on him only they were now evolved thanks to the battles.

"This is going to be an interesting battle folks! So far, from what we've seen of Jay, she has a Drifblim that is very powerful! But as we know, Cheren uses Normal-types which means none of the moves it uses will have any effect. I wonder how this battle will play out!" The announcer bellowed as the crowd was whipped up into a frenzy.

 **X-X-X**

Goken made his way towards Katsu as the introductions were stil going. He could see an intense look of concentration on his face which was something he admired. He had a feeling that he'd be facing Katsu in this round. He'd seen the power of his Pokemon and knew he needed to be on guard.

"So...who do you think will win?" Goken spoke up.

Katsu shifted his gaze towards Goken who stood just a few inches over him. He had a muscular build, similar to that of Maikeru's and himself. Katsu figured he was a martial artist due to the type of Pokemon he had on him. A smirk crossed his features as he looked over at the battle.

"Hard to say. Cheren is good...he's got strategy and talent. It was a challenge to get the badge from him. However...on the other hand...Jay is incredible. I've been traveling with her since Virbank and this is just beyond what I expected...she's...unbelievably strong. But as the announcer said, Rif won't be able to do anything to Cheren's Pokemon...unless...she doesn't use him."

"So...you know Jay huh? And you're saying that in the time she's been with you, she's never once shown her battle prowess? Talk about holding out..." Goken observed.

"Yeah...now I wonder whatelse there is to her..." Katsu smiled softly.

"Heh...you have a crush on her don't you?" Goken smirked.

"What?"

"Oh don't play dumb...we're both Martial Artists here...we can sense these sorts of things. The way you speak of her sounds like you've got a major crush on the girl...and the way she stands by you makes me wonder if she feels the same way."

Katsu looked back towards the battle, keeping his focus on the match at this point. Everyone seemed to think he had a crush on Jay. He liked her...that much was certain. And yes...he did want to get closer to her. He remembered the feeling of her soft, plush lips against his own. The memory brought a slight pink tint to his face as he shifted his gaze towards Jay. His expression soon turned back to his stoic gaze as he concentrated on the match.

"Let's just see how this match goes...I'd like to find out whatelse Jay can do..." Katsu stated with a smirk.

"Me too...one of us will have to face her soon. And then there's that Colress guy. He's in the match after us and he'll probably secure a spot in the final round. This means one of us goes through Jay to get there...but first..."

"We have to go through each other..." Katsu finished for Goken.

"Right..." Goken grinned.

 **X-X-X**

"Combatants! Are you ready?!"

Both Cheren and Jay nodded, grabbing for their first Pokemon before the announcer signaled them to begin.

"BEGIN!"

"Stoutland, let's go!"

"Gen, let's do it!"

 _'So she's using Gen in this match...well...this will be interesting...'_ Katsu thought as he watched the battle begin.

"Stoutland, use Crunch!"

 _'Keep your distance and use Psychic...'_

Stoutland barked loudly as he pushed off, dashing towards Gengar ferociously as he barred his fangs. Gen didn't seem the least bit bothered by this, even if the move was a super effective attack. He avoided it expertly and then faced Stoutland down with a devious grin. Gen's eyes met with Stoutland's and the hound was lifted off the ground, taking severe damage from the attack as he was slammed into the ground harshly.

 _'Hypnosis...then Dream Eater...'_

Gen stared into Stoutlands eyes as he forced the canine to turn towards him. The hypnotic waves pulsed from Gen's eyes, causing Stoutland to get drowsy and soon he fell to the ground asleep. Gen walked up to the collapsed Stoutland and looked over his prey. Gen opened his mouth and began absorbing energy from Stoutland, causing the canine to whimper in his sleep until he passed out.

"Stoutland is unable to battle! Gengar wins!"

Cheren blinked at the outcome of the match. Gengar knocked out Stoutland as though he were nothing at all. Stoutland were known to be pretty durable but then again...Gengar was considerably more powerful. Cheren returned Stoutland and searched for his next teammate.

"Tranquill, your turn!" Cheren called out, sending out his faithful feathery companion.

Tranquill rose high above the arena and looked down at Gen with a determined gaze. She squaked her challenge and circled the arena waiting for a command.

 _'Okay...it looks as though she is able to communicate via telepathy as well...great...this is going to be rough. Her Gengar is strong...and I underestimated it by thinking I could use something with a slight advantage. That won't happen again...'_

"Tranquill, use Aerial Ace!"

 _'Let it get close...then use Sludge Wave...'_

Tranquill soared higher before diving towards Gen, closing her wings to make herself more aerodynamic as she flew. As she got closer, Gen began to open his mouth wide. Toxic chemicals began to bubble within and soon a wave of poisonous sludge spewed out of his mouth, slamming into Tranquill and covering her feathers. Poison coursed through her body as she fell to the floor. She strugged to get the sludge off of her feathers but she was having difficulty.

"Shake it off Tranquill!" Cheren shouted.

 _'Hypnosis...'_

Tranquill continued to struggle in the poisonous slop but her efforts were in vain. Her eyes soon began to droop shut due to the hypnotic pulse waves coming from Gen. Tranquill was now powerless.

 _'Dream Eater.'_

And just like last time, Gen began to absorb the energy from Tranquill's frame, causing the bird to convulse in her sleep. She was breathing heavily at this point and wasn't able to do anything.

"I'm calling Tranquill out of the match!" Cheren said as he returned Tranquill to his ball.

"And it looks like Cheren counted that round as a loss! He has one Pokemon left, who will it be?!"

Cheren sighed as he looked down at his team. He hated to do that but he already knew the outcome of that bout. Tranquill wouldn't have lasted at all. That, and he didn't want to watch Tranquill get beat upon.

"Watchog, it's up to you!"

Hugh watched as Cheren sent out the exact same Pokemon he had on him. It was as if they were mirror images of one another when it came to the previous Pokemon that Cheren used. Watchog glanced over at Gen with a curious expression.

"Watchog, use Crunch!"

Watchog powered dark energies into his jaws and raced towards Gen with vicious intent. As he neared, a smirk crossed Jay's features. She was leading Watchog right into a nasty trap and Cheren was too late to see it. Watchog bit down upon Gen who let out a pained cry as he was bitten. He remained strong however and grinned down at Watchog.

 _'Hypnosis...then use Psychic and Sludge Wave...'_

Gen snickered while he looked down at Watchog, hypnotic waves emitting from his eyes as he began to put Watchog to sleep. Gengar then lifted Watchog high into the air and fired off a powerful Sludge Wave, coating Watchog in a thick layer of poison. Gen then slammed Watchog into the ground, knocking him out.

"And Watchog is unable to battle! Gengar wins which means Jaycelyn wins the match!"

Cheren sighed as he returned Watchog to his ball.

"It's alright Watchog...you did your best. Maybe we'll be able to do better next time..." Cheren said with a soft smile.

"That was a fun battle Cheren!" Jay giggled happily as she walked up to Cheren with a smile.

"Err...right, thanks. You're very strong Jay...I wasn't sure how to battle against you. I thought that this battle would be a long one due to neither of us having an advantage but you proved me wrong. I guess I still have much to learn as a trainer and a Gym Leader."

Jay and Cheren both shook hands and walked out of the arena. Katsu glanced over at Goken who seemed rather surprised by the outcome. Her Gengar was incredibly powerful as well. Goken looked back at Katsu with a knowing gaze. Both of them were going to battle soon and it wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"Alright! Jaycelyn will move on to the next round! We will have a fifteen minute intermission before the next battle takes place! I hope you are all ready because it's going to be explosive!"

 **X-X-X**

Jay smiled softly to herself as she took her Pokemon back from the nurse. She then let them out, Gen and Dusk hiding as usual while Rif hovered around her frame. She turned around, only to see Katsu standing behind her. He was talking with Goken when he noticed Jay looking at him. A faint smile crossed his features as he met her gaze. She walked over to him and stood at his side as usual.

"That was impressive Jay. Your skill with Ghost-types is astonishing. You seem perfectly composed out there. It's going to be hard to defeat you, but I'm sure I'll manage...if I can get by him that is..." Goken stated, nodding towards Katsu.

"You're sure you're facing Katsu? I-I mean...you could be up against someone else...you know?" Jay said with a nervous laugh.

"It makes sense to be against him next. Look at the order of the fights. First it was you and Alice. Next it was Katsu and Hugh. After that it was Maikeru versus Colress and then you against Cheren. Albeit we've faced off against others here, it's pretty obvious that Katsu and I will be the next fight...and I don't expect it to be easy..." Goken smirked.

"Don't expect me to make it easy...it's never been my style to do that..." Katsu grinned.

"Well...whichever one of you wins, I'll be happy to take either of you on," Jay said with a soft smile.

Katsu couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Jay was getting more confident while she was here. However, he could tell that the rush of adrenaline was what kept her really going. The battles were thrilling and he could tell she was having a great time. This was a completely different side of her. One he never imagined he'd see and yet...there it was. He couldn't deny it, she was even more attractive when she was confident. It was enough that she was cute as all get-out when she was nervous and awkward. This...this was just...he had no words.

One thing he did know. He was going to fight his way through whoever stood in his way to go against Jay. He had just the way to do it as well. It was going to be tough but he'd manage. He had taught Liepard a new trick which would really give her an edge. Yes, Liepard would be his weapon against Jay should he ever come across her in the competition. She was, at this point, a mountain for him to climb and conquer. But would he be able to do it? He had to face off against Goken who was a strong trainer in his own right. It was going to be an uphill battle, but Katsu knew he would be able to rise to the occassion.

The bell for the fifteen minute intermission went off which signaled that the next round was about to begin. Katsu, Jay and Goken made their way into the arena area where they awaited the next round to begin.

"And now it's on to the next bout! Once again ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Katsu Aikoooooooooooooo!" The announcer called out, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers and whistles as Katsu stepped onto the platform.

"And haling all the way form the Sinnoh Region! He's a trainer seeking to become a Fighting-type Elite Four member. He has a high goal, but with the determination he's shown us here, one can be certain that he will do everything in his power to reach that goal! I give you, Gooooooookeeennnnnn!" The announcer belted as Goken made his way towards the arena, a confident look on his features.

"Looks like you were right Goken...we are facing each other. Now let's see who comes out on top!" Katsu grinned.

Goken smirked back at Katsu, equally as excited to battle him. Katsu was a tough opponent from what he could tell. He was going to need all the help he could get to overcome his team. This was going to be one heck of a fight.

 **And so ends that round! Another chapter of the tournament, a few away from the big event! I hope you are all enjoying it so far. Colress showed he was a bit much for Maikeru to handle and Jay proved to be too strong for Cheren. Now it's Katsu facing off against Goken, a newcomer to this story, thanks to jj4life015! How will Katsu fare against him? Only one way to find out! Keep watch for the next installment of Icy Wrath! I hope you're ready for it!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello again everyone! How goes it?! Are you liking the chapters so far? Two juicy ones have been pupped out for your viewing pleasure and I hope you are hungry for more because I'm not stopping! So, last chapter Maikeru faced against Colress and lost. Jay battled Cheren and easily won the match. Now it's time for Katsu to face off against Goken! I am so pumped for this fight! Let's see what happens in the latter part of round two! Shall we get right to it then?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 23: Fighting for the Semi-Finals!**

Katsu stood across from Goken with a smirk on his features. Goken seemed to be a challenge that he would have a lot of fun with. Both of them were equally strong it seemed and they both knew that this was going to be a tough fight. The only question was, who would send out what first? As far as Katsu knew, Goken had a Gallade, a Riolu and a Monferno. Getting by the Gallade was going to be an issue. Gallade boasted considerable force and Katsu needed something that could take it him down. However, he and Goken needed to send out their Pokemon at the same time. He could only guess on the first draw.

"Are you two ready?!"

Katsu and Goken glanced over at the referee and then back at one another, nodding to signal that they were ready.

"Begin!"

"Gallade, you're up!"

"Liepard let's go!"

Both Pokemon immerged onto the field at the same time. This wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for, but then again, he wasn't wanting to lose Rufflet right off the bat either. Liepard would have to do. Gallade was considerably stronger than Liepard and held the advantage. However...due to the dual typing that Gallade held, he would be damaged normally by dark type techniques which was a good thing. At least Liepard wasn't at a total disadvantage when it came to damaging Gallade.

"Gallade, use Brick Break!"

"Feint Attack!"

Gallade powered up his hand and raced towards Liepard at a swift pace. He thrust his hand downwards and slammed it into the arena floor, right as Liepard vanished. Moving swiftly in the shadows, Liepard remained undetected as she circled around Gallade.

Goken closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Sweat trickled down the side of his visage as he tried to pinpoint where Liepard would be. He knew they were practically untraceable in that state and their feet couldn't be heard. However, that didn't mean that there wasn't a split second where their presence couldn't be felt. As soon as Liepard appeared, Goken's eyes opened.

"Use Brick Break again!"

Liepard's attack connected with great force, causing Gallade to stagger a bit before regaining his balance. He then swung his glowing hand towards Liepard and slammed it down hard onto the back of the tricky feline. Liepard hit the ground hard and struggled to get back up. She'd been dealt a heavy blow and it showed in her steps.

"Low sweep now!"

"Feint Attack and Night Slash!"

Gallade dropped down and swept his foot along the arena floor, aiming to knock Liepard to the floor once more. Liepard, despite her condition, managed to fade from view before the attack reached her, missing her entirely. She reappeared behind Gallade and lashed out at him with darkness empowered claws, causing Gallade to stagger back. He took even more damage from that attack than he did previously, showing that a critical strike must have been made. Gallade stared back at Liepard defiantly. Liepard growled low at Gallade and glared up at him. Her tail twitched back and forth with anticipation. This was a fight she liked. They were both equally worn out.

 _'Liepard is far stronger than I expected her to be...her defenses may not be able to take a beating, but she sure can dish out one. Katsu must have trained her to be pretty darn fast because I can barely keep up with the darn cat...'_ Goken thought as he concentrated on the match.

"Let's end this Gallade, Brick Break!"

"Night Slash!"

Both Liepard and Gallade charged towards one another. Liepard lashed out at Gallade who in turn met her blow for blow with a Brick Break. Both of their attacks made a solid connection, sending them both crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" The referee declared, causing them both to recall their companions.

"That Liepard of yours is something else. What do you feed her? She's ridiculously fast," Goken commented as he readied his next comrade.

"Nothin' special really, I just train all of my Pokemon the way they liked to be trained. Liepard was my first official catch so it makes sense that she is the way she is," Katsu laughed.

"Well, she was tough. I thought for sure that Gallade had that won. It looks like we were both out of luck on that one," Goken smirked.

 **X-X-X**

"So, who do you think will win?" Maikeru inquired as he stood next to Hugh and Alice. Jay was with them as well. She was just analyzing the fight between the two she could possibly face next.

She could see that Goken wasn't one to mess with. Gallade was a testament to that. However...if all he used were fighting types...Katsu had that match in the bag.

"Not sure...but it looks like they're even at this point..." Hugh said as he kept watch on the match.

"I'm not sure about that...Katsu hasn't used Rufflet yet. And he has that...that...blue ball of nonsense on his team. Honestly...that thing is annoying," Alice grumbled.

"You're just mad because it sprays you in the face..." Hugh laughed.

Alice simply huffed and turned her nose up at the comment.

 _'On top of that...it called her a bimbo which I find hilarious...'_ Gen chuckled to himself.

 _'Indeed...just remember what I said Gen...even if it's true...'_ Dusk said as he glanced back at the arena.

"I think Katsu will win this match...he's never been one to disappoint. I don't think he'll give up no matter what the odds."

"Let's hope you're right Jay..." Hugh smirked.

 **X-X-X**

"Riolu, it's your turn!"

"Rufflet, let's go!"

 _'And there it is...the shiny Rufflet. This is going to be difficult, considering Riolu is at a complete disadvantage. Well...that would be the case, if my Riolu weren't the defensive type. This should be interesting...'_

 _'Ready Rufflet?"_

 _'Always...father...'_ Rufflet smirked spreading his shining wings as he hovered aloft the arena.

 _'Let's see...he's got a Riolu...however, from what I've seen...he's not fully able to utilize aura to communicate with it. All I've seen him do is verbalize attacks. I can communicate with Rufflet now that my telepathy is more developed...let's see how he handles this...'_

 _'Aerial Ace!'_

Rufflet screeched loudly before diving down towards his prey. Riolu looked up with widened eyes as Rufflet dive-bombed towards him. Before Riolu could do much of anything, the attack connected, sending Riolu bouncing along the ground, skidding to a stop. Riolu shook his head vigorously before getting back up and looking over at Rufflet.

 _'Did...did he just communicate with Rufflet...using telepathy? I mean...I thought it was only able to be done with Riolu. It looks like his aura is far more developed than I originally thought,'_ Goken said as he glanced back over at Riolu.

"Copycat!"

Riolu nodded and leapt into action, aiming to strike Rufflet down with the side of his paw. Rufflet evaded the attack quite easily, leaving the stranded canine to free fall towards the arena. Riolu flipped over in the air and landed in a three point stance before turning to face Rufflet.

 _'So it's Copycat huh? A move that forces the user to make use of whatever move was used last, even if it was his own. I guess I should be careful and not give him something too good to work with...'_ Katsu thought.

 _'Fury Attack!'_ Katsu called out.

"Let him hit you!" Goken called out.

Rufflet rushed in and rapidly began scratching and pecking at Riolu, causing the bipedal canine to grit his teeth in pain as the talons bore into him after each strike.

"Now use Reversal!"

Riolu's eyes shot open as Rufflet was about to strike once more. He drew back his right arm and slammed it into Rufflet with powerful force. The resulting blow sent Rufflet flying into the arena, skidding across the ground. Rufflet struggled to get up after the devastating blow and glared over at Riolu.

"Quick Attack, let's end it!"

Before Rufflet could react, Riolu barreled into him at high speeds, knocking him back several feet more than he already was. Rufflet still wasn't out of it however. He screeched loudly and hurridly beat his wings to get himself into the air again. He wobbled a bit before stabilizing. It was getting down to the wire at this point.

"I gotta admit, your Rufflet is one tough customer. Hardly Pokemon's gotten up after an attack like that."

"Thanks, your Riolu is pretty tricky. All counter moves huh?"

"Yep. Makes it so that you either take him out in one go or he'll blow you away. Offense isn't the only part of Martial Arts as I'm sure you're aware..." Goken smirked.

"If I wasn't, I couldn't call myself a Martial Artist now could I?" Katsu grinned.

"Riolu, Quick Attack!"

 _'Rufflet, Aerial Ace!'_

Both Rufflet and Riolu raced towards each other, each accelerating at intense speeds before colliding. Both Pokemon landed opposite one another. Riolu landed in a three point stance while Rufflet landed with both wings out. Rufflet staggered but Riolu collapsed.

"Riolu is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" The referee declared.

Goken returned Riolu to his ball and reached for his last one.

"That was a close call there Katsu! I thought Riolu had Rufflet there for a sec."

"Me too, but it looked like Rufflet had the upper hand at the end. It all came down to force at that point."

"Well, let's see how you handle Monferno!"

Goken fired his last Pokeball onto the arena and out popped Monferno. This must have been one of the starting Pokemon for trainers in the Sinnoh Region. He looked quite strong. Monferno sounded his battle cry as he beat his chest. He then stared at the worn out Rufflet with a grin.

 _'Aerial Ace!'_

"Let's finish this with Blaze Kick!"

Rufflet rocketed towards Monferno with every ounce of strength he had remaining. Even if he fell, he would bare the scars of his battle with pride. He'd served his father well in this match so he would be able to take a break without any regrets. As he neared his target, he swerved to try to avoid the oncoming attack, but to no avail. Monferno's fire cloaked foot came around and smashed into the side of his frame, sending him sprawling out of control, sending him into a tailspin as he hit the arena floor unconscious.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Monferno wins!" The referee proclaimed.

Katsu returned Rufflet to his ball and smiled down at his friend.

"It's alright Rufflet, you did your best...just let your friend take it from here."

"Looks like it's just down to one Pokemon each. I hope you're ready!" Goken grinned.

"Oh...I think I'm more than ready..." Katsu grinned as he held out his last Pokeball.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Here it comes...'_ Jay thought as she watched the fight tumble towards its conclusion.

 _'Oooo, we get to watch Marill fight again? This will be good for laughs!'_ Gen grinned.

 _'It won't be so funny for Monferno though...he has no idea how strong Marill is...'_ Dusk chuckled.

 _'You're right, I feel bad for the guy...he worked so hard to get this point only to have to face that bouncy ball...'_ Gen sniggered.

 _'Maybe it won't be that bad...I mean, Monferno is a tricky Pokemon after all...'_ Jay added as she watched the match start up again.

 _'Huge...Power...Jay. Huge Power...'_ Gen reminded.

 **X-X-X**

"Marill, let's finish this!" Katsu called out, sending out the cute blue ball of ferocity.

Marill bounced onto the arena floor, glancing over at his opponent curiously. Another Fire-type? Was Katsu saving the easy stuff for him, or did it just happen to end up this way? Either way, Marill didn't care. He was just glad to be battling.

Some of the girls in the audience gushed over him, shouting out how cute he was.

"Just because you're cute, doesn't mean I have to like you!" Alice shouted for the little mouse to hear.

She was sprayed in the face by a stream of water from Marill before she had the chance to realize she'd just made a mistake. She sputtered and then glared at Marill. Jay stifled a giggle while everyone else simply cracked up.

 _'And it's that thing...I don't know how I'm going to go about this. I guess I'll just make it up as I go...not much I can do when I don't have much of an advantage...'_

"Mach Punch!"

"Aqua Jet!"

Both Pokemon shot of at intense speeds, each utilizing a priority move. Both moves connected with brutal force, Marill being forced backwards due to the strength advantage that Monferno held. Monferno was damaged as well but wasn't shoved back as far. He skidded to a stop while Marill bounced a few times before bouncing back onto his feet.

"Flame Wheel, let's go!"

"Bounce and use Aqua Jet!"

Monferno began to spin rapidly in place, fire cloaking his body as he raced along the ground like a bowling ball at high speeds. Marill launched himself high into the air and cloaked himself in water, utilizing the speed advantage that Aqua Jet gave him to rocket towards the arena. Marill crashed hard into Monferno before he had the chance to come out of his wheel. The impact of the Flying-type move combined with Aqua Jet almost literally flattened Monferno. Marill bounced off of Monferno who was completely out of it.

"And Monferno is unable to battle! That means Katsu wins the match!" The announcer hollered, causing the crowd to burst into cheers. Katsu gave a sigh of relief as the match finished up.

Marill bounced happily onto Katsu's head, however he wasn't going to remain there for too long. Katsu returned Marill to his ball and placed it on his belt. Goken laughed softly as he walked up to shake Katsu's hand.

"I gotta say, that was tough. But you sure seemed in a hurry to end the match Katsu. That combo you pulled was crazy! Do you always do stuff like that?" Goken inquired.

"Heh...I improvise when I have to I guess. But seriously, my Pokemon are the ones doing the work. I just give the commands. They work hard for their victories."

"You're a humble man Katsu," Goken smirked.

"Thanks, same to you...I think..." Katsu chuckled, taking Goken's hand and shaking it.

The two stepped off the arena floor and walked towards the back where the others were waiting. Katsu glanced up at the board just before he left to see where he was. It was the semi-final round now and he would be facing Jay. Colress was facing Lydia. Apparently she and her boyfriend entered the tournament. Unfortunately, Ted was knocked out by Maikeru in his first round.

Katsu was met by Jay who was now smiling at him. She seemed rather happy that he won. Jay and Katsu both looked up at the board to see who was up next. Colress was preparing for his battle against Lydia who had fought her way to this point as well. The Semi-Finals were going to begin soon and that was one thing Katsu needed to prepare for. He saw that his and Jay's names were near each other and that meant they would face off in the semi-final round.

"The semi-final round will begin in half an hour! All four combatants will be given that time to rest up for a little while longer. Don't go away just yet folks! We have some strong competitors here today! Katsu Aiko, Colress, Jaycelyn Nalum, and Lydia! All four of these trainers are going to be battling it out for the championship round!" The announcer declared.

 **X-X-X**

After having received a break from work, Jennifer and Madeline both sat down and watched the screen. Madeline was a little bit sad that her son, Hugh, had lost his match. However, she was glad that it was to Katsu, rather than someone else. Jill was also watching the battles, also saddened at her big brother's loss. With him out of the competition they both resolved to root for Katsu.

"Katsu's gonna win this whole thing!" Jill chirped as she stared at the screen with a determined stare.

"I'm not so sure about that now. Jaycelyn is incredibly strong, and Colress seems really tough too. And that Lydia is no pushover herself. This could seriously go either way," Madeline commented.

"True, but so far, Katsu managed to get through Hugh and that Goken fellow. He's proven he's able to hang with the tougher ones. I just hope he and Jay have fun out there. I also hope my boy will make his move already, the tension is killing me!" Jennifer sniggered.

"I know what you mean. Those two would make an ADORABLE couple. They're practically perfect for each other!" Madeline giggled.

Jill blinked as she watched her mother and Jennifer go back and forth. Katsu's mother was already coming up with wedding ideas and Madeline was gushing at each comment. Jill couldn't understand them at times. They were so bent on hooking up their sons with someone, only...Jennifer was a little more aggressive.

"Well, we've got thirty minutes until the next fight starts. Katsu will be facing off against Jay in the latter half of the semi's so that will be fun to watch."

"Agreed Jennifer. Now...I'm gonna check on the pasta. I need to make sure it's ready so we can eat!"

"Okay, holler if you need me!"

"I will, Jennifer!" Madeline said as she walked into her kitchen.

Jennifer's XTransceiver rang and she picked it up. It was her husband.

"Hello? Oh hi honey!"

"How's my lovely wife doing this evening?"

"I'm doing well love, just watching Katsu tear it up in the World Tournament."

"I'm watching that too! I'm so proud of our boy! He's really giving the competition a thrashing."

"I know he is. Oh, and I think he may be hooking up with someone really sooooon!"

"You mean our boy might finally-"

"Yes. He just might finally have a girlfriend. Potential spouse...you know what I mean."

"Well, let's hope things work out for him. I've been given a day off over here to watch the tournament," Mr. Aiko grinned.

"That's great honey! I wish they'd give you a week off so you can come home to me...you'll get one heck of a welcome if you do..." Jennifer grinned deviously.

"Oh I bet I will. And I'll be looking forward to it..."

"Jennifer! Not in front of Jill!" Madeline called out.

"Sorry!" Jennifer giggled, blushing in embarrassment.

Jill blinked at the comments that were made. While she was still little, she had some form of understanding of how things worked, and no it wasn't because a Pelipper came by with a basket and dropped babies on doorsteps. However, since the comment was vague, she didn't quite pick up on it.

The tournament would be starting again soon and she didn't have time to be worried about what her mother's friend was talking about. She wanted to see the battles. Also, she wanted Katsu to win. She owed Katsu her life for what he did for her years ago. She still remembered the boldness he showed when he faced three thieves with firearms with just a bokken. She was so scared and yet, there he was...her guardian to the rescue. Hugh saw the latter half of it as he came out to find his sister. All he saw was Katsu's body blur from view only to come back into focus. The thieves all dropped to the ground after that.

Yes, Katsu was her guardian. She'd named him that a long time ago. That's why she wanted him to win this. She loved seeing how strong he was. Hugh was strong too. He stood up for her whenever she'd get picked on and always helped her out. He held the special position of being her big brother. She couldn't have asked for a better brother, and with Katsu being there as well, it was as if she had two big brothers. She had double the protection. She felt safe knowing they would watch over her.

 **X-X-X**

"Alright everyone! It's that time again! All of our combatants are now refreshed and ready for the semi-final rounds! I hope all of you viewers at home are enjoying this so far because I know I am! So far, people have been flocking into the stadium to get a view of these fine competitors! The show these trainers put on could be likened to that of those who compete in the League! And if I understand correctly, two of our final combatants are taking that challenge! Lydia and Katsu are both registered trainers for the league. Who knows, maybe we will see them compete again there. Now, without further ado, let's get the first of our two semi-final battles under way!"

The crowd exploded into cheers as the lights went on once more. The announcer cleared his throat as he held the microphone up.

"You've seen her fight her way through a few fiesty combatants, but she has made it this far and hopes to go on and win it all! Give it up for Nimbasa City's Lydia!" The announcer shouted.

Lydia trekked onto the field, her emerald eyes focusing intently on Colress's golden hues. She ran her right hand through her ginger tresses before lowering it to her hip.

 _'This guy's no joke...I'm going to need to be careful against him. I feel bad for defeating Ted...he wanted to move on so bad. He still needs to get stronger and he's improving a lot. Looks like I'm gonna have to give it my best shot here...'_ Lydia thought as she fixated her attention towards Colress.

"And standing across from the lovely Lydia, is a man of science as he claims. He is still working on his theory of how to fully bring out the power of Pokemon! He's a brilliant strategist and has proven it time after time! Let's here it for Colress!" The announcer called out.

Colress, typed something into his tablet. He then shifted his attention to his opponent. He didn't seem too worried about her team for whatever reason. He knew this would be a tough match, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with as far as he was concerned. He just wanted to get more data.

 _'I am so close to finding the answer that I seek. I do hope that this girl...Lydia, can provide me with more information. I do hope to face Katsu to see if my theory is indeed correct. There is so much potential with him that has yet to be explored. For now, I'll have to get through this girl to find my answer...'_

 **And that ends the next chapter! The final four have been decided! Katsu will be facing off against Jay after Colress faces Lydia! I know what you're thinking. Who's going to be victorious in the end? That is yet to be determined. It could be anyone's game at this point! There is only one way to find out who will win and I think you know what I mean! I hope you all are still hungry for more because it's coming! Colress's quest for knowledge is continuing on and he just might get the answer he is looking for here. Then again, he might not, who knows? And let's not forget, about Katsu. Will he be able to defeat Jay? Or will her tactics prove more than he can handle? Find out next time on Icy Wrath!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Welcome back my faithful viewers! It's time for another chapter in this crazy fanfic of mine! I know some of you have been looking forward to this all week. I know I have! The tournament continues here and we have our four finalists! Only two will compete in the final round! I hope you have enjoyed the battles so far. Thank you to those of you who submitted your OC's. Any others that come in will be looked over and added in when I see fit. So, are you ready for the semi final battles?! Ready or not, it's coming! Let's roll! Credit for some of the dialogue in here goes to PG-13 as well as part of the idea for this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 24: Battle of Distractions!**

Colress stood across from Lydia with a stoic expression on his visage. Both of thgem were analyzing one another and figuring out exactly what strategies would be put into play before their battle began. By now they both knew each other's Pokemon well enough to formulate a battle strategy before the fight even began.

"It's time to begin the first round of the Semi-Finals! The winner of this match will go on to the final round to face either Katsu or Jaycelyn! Is everyone ready?!"

The crowd roared loudly as the announcer pumped the microphone into the air.

"Then let's get this started! Combatants, are you ready?!"

Lydia nodded along with Colress and the two turned to face one another.

"BEGIN!"

"Boldore let's go!"

"Klang, I beckon you!"

Colress smirked as he saw the Boldore n the field. It was as he'd predicted. He'd seen her use it several times in the block and knew she liked to lead off with him. Klang was the perfect counter for it considering it was a Steel-type. However, Boldore wasn't an easy victory.

"Klang, use Flash Cannon!"

"Protect!"

Klang's cogs rotated swiftly as it gathered steel energies into a central point on its body. Soon, a powerful steel blast erupted from Klang's body and tore through the air towards Boldore. The giant boulder braced himself and put up a green barrier before him as the attack clashed with the shield. The blast split off in different directions, not even leaving a dent in Boldore's frame. Klang continued to hover in the air, and Boldore stared back at Klang, waiting for oders from his trainer.

"Bulldoze!"

"Iron Defense!"

Boldore glowed red as he called upon the powers of an element much like his own. He then darted along the ground, aiming to ram into Klang who seemed to be raising his defenses. The powerful attack struck, however, due to the defense raise, not as much damage was done as expected. Klang was weak to ground type attacks, but that Iron Defense increased its resistance to it. Klang was sent spinning backwards but it didn't fall over.

"Boldore, Rock Blast!"

"Flash Cannon!"

Boldore reached deep within his core, bringing out the power of his earthly element to aid him. Rocks materialized before him and he fired them off one by one towards Klang who began powering up a Flash Cannon. Soon, the blast was fired off and the rocks and steel energy collided, resulting in a powerful explosion that shook the arena.

"Boldore, Bulldoze again!"

"Metal Sound!"

As Boldore surged forward into battle, Klang unleashed a powerful screeching sound that could be likened to that of nails on a chalkboard. Boldore couldn't help but stop and cringe at the alarming sound.

"Now use Flash Cannon!" Colress ordered.

Klang powered up the attack once more, taking advantage of the momentarily disoriented Boldore's defensive drop to fire off a blast that sent the pile of rocks flying backwards, landing with a heavy THUD!

"Boldore is unable to battle! Klang wins!" The referee announced.

"Well...that didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Then again, I was at a bit of a disadvantage."

"True, you were. However, you made up for it by using moves you knew would be effective...that's what it takes in order to work around your weakness...shall we continue this study?" Colress smirked.

"I'd be glad to...Gurdurr, you're on!"

"Ah...a Gurdurr...this could be problematic..." Colress muttered to himself, typing something else into his Tablet before refocusing on the battle.

"Gurdurr, use Hammer Arm!"

"Iron Defense!"

Gurdurr placed his steel beam down and launched himself towards Klang. He brought his arm down hard upon Klang just as it was reinforcing its coat of steel. The impact of the blow sent the steel cogs straight to the ground. No amount of reinforcements were going be enough to withstand an attack like that. Klang had no chance. It was knocked out cold.

"Klang is unable to battle! Gurdurr wins!" The referee declared.

"I seem to have underestimated your Gurdurr...that was foolish of me. I assure you, I won't underestimate him again..." Colress stated as he returned Klang to his ball.

"I'm sure you won't," Lydia grinned.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Jay were watching the battle intently. Both of them knew that they would have to face one of the two competing currently. The only question was; who would win? Katsu looked over at Jay who was listening to music while concentrating on the battle at the same time. A smile was resting on her features. He liked her smile. It was warm, gentle...and it made her face just light up. Battling her was going to be rather interesting. Was he ready for her? Probably not. He was facing her with a first stage Pokemon and two evolved ones, one fully, the other nearly there. Her team was full of powerhouse Ghost-types that could probably wreck him. He honestly wasn't sure about his chances.

Yet, at the same time...he knew he could win. He'd seen her strategies several times. The only thing he hadn't seen was Dusk. He saw the strength of Gen and Rif. What was unsettling was that he had no idea what Dusk was capable of. He knew Dusk was powerful, but how powerful? He wasn't going to worry about it right now. He needed to focus on the match at hand. It was going to decide who he or Jay would face. He would need to get a good read on their strategies before formulating his own.

 **X-X-X**

"Beheeyem, I summon you!" Colress commanded.

 _'And here is where it gets interesting. He beat that Maikeru guy with this thing. I'd better be careful...'_ Lydia said as she faced down Beheeyem.

"Gurdurr, use Stone Edge!"

"Psyshock!"

Gurdurr powered up as he gathered in the element of the earth beneath him. Stones formulated around his frame, whirling around him in criss-cross fashion before being flung towards Beheeyem. The extraterrestrial Pokemon raised its hand and channeled psychic energies into it before releasing the power from his frame. Small balls of psychic power collided with the stones, shattering them like glass as they made contact.

"Psychic," Colress commanded.

"Detect!"

Gurdurr swung his beam around in front of him, pushing the psychic energy harmlessly away from him. Beheeyem tilted his head at the barrier and then looked back at Colress.

"I know...it's frustrating..." Colress sighed, looking back at Gurdurr.

"Gurdurr, use Wake-Up Slap!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Gurdurr charged in with his beam at his side. He swung the metallic beam towards Beheeyem and connected powerfully, sending Beheeyem flying backwards. Beheeyem got up with a little difficulty after the attack and fired a powerful blast of lightning towards Gurdurr who clearly wasn't prepared for it. He took the blast where he stood and fell to one knee after it finished up.

"Psychic!"

"Detect!"

Gurdurr tried to swing his beam before him to initiate the detect, however, a golden spark of energy signaled something almost every trainer dreaded. Paralysis. He couldn't move! Taking advantage of this, Beheeyem lifted Gurdurr off the ground and flung him high into the air, still maintaining his psychic grip.

"Psyshock..." Colress ordered.

The powerful psychic energies racked Gurdurr's body, causing him to groan painfully as he was held. Soon, dozens of tiny psychic orbs pelted his body, hammering his weakness even more. Beheeyem lowered his hand swiftly and slammed Gurdurr into the ground, knocking him out cold.

"Gurdurr is unable to battle! Beheeyem wins!" The referee declared.

Lydia sighed and shook her head as she returned Gurdurr to his ball. She had a feeling that would happen. Beheeyem had enough psychic power to give almost any Pokemon of his type a run for their money, with the exception of a few of course. She was down to one last Pokemon and she needed to make it count.

"Swanna, take flight!"

Lydia fired her last Pokemon onto the arena. Swanna soared high above the floor, taking in her surroundings. This was Lydia's last means of defense. She wasn't going to go out easily. Colress's eyes locked onto Swanna as she immerged. He could tell that Swanna was quite powerful and that this was going to be a difficult battle to overcome.

"Swanna, use Scald!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Swanna spread her wings wide and reared her head back. Steam began to rise from her beak as she gathered heated aquatic energies into her beak. She soon fired a hot blast of water towards Beheeyem, the stream connecting with the electric blast heading her way, dispelling it.

"Keep it up!"

"Thunderbolt once more!"

Swanna and Beheeyem continued trading attacks with one another. The audience was on the edge of their seat with anticipation. They wondered which side would come out on top. So far, Swanna proved to be the toughest contender for Beheeyem as she was matching him blast for blast.

 **X-X-X**

"So...Katsu..." Goken said as he stepped up beside him and the rest of the gang.

"Yeah, what's up?" Katsu replied, not breaking his attention away from the match.

"Well, I was wondering...all this time I've been travelling by myself. Back home in Sinnoh I always had friends to tag along with me, and over here I've mostly been on my own. I think you can see where I'm going with this..." Goken said as he also focused on the match.

"So, you want to tag along with my friends and me? I wouldn't mind that. The more the merrier you know? It'll be interesting having more people traveling with me."

"In that case, mind if I come too? I mean...for a little while. I'm kinda bored on my own. Nothing exciting has happened while I've been alone. And then I ran into you and well, BAM Team Plasma shows up! I need a little rush every now and again," Maikeru laughed.

"Uh...okay. I don't see any problems. And I don't think Hugh and Alice have any qualms with it either...we're a pretty interesting crowd..." Katsu smirked.

"No kidding. Anyway, it looks like this match is really heating up here at the end..." Maikeru replied, keeping the focus where it ought to be.

 **X-X-X**

Swanna landed a powerful Scald attack which drove Beheeyem into the ground. The extraterrestrial Pokemon rose up from the arena floor with steam rising off of him. Burn marks were clearly visable, signaling he'd taken on that dreaded status affliction.

 _'Yes! Swanna burned it! I knew I'd eventually get lucky with that...now I just need to press the offensive...'_

"Thunderbolt!"

"Avoid it and use Aerial Ace!"

Swanna flapped her wings furiously as she gained altitude. She then took a nosedive towards Beheeyem, weaving around the streak of lightning that was shot her way. She collided heavily with Beheeyem and rammed him into the arena floor, pinning him.

"End it with Scald!"

Swanna gurgled water that reached scorching temperatures, in her beak, before firing it at point blank range in Beheeyem's face. Beheeyem was knocked out cold after that blast and was soon returned to his Pokeball for a rest.

"That was most impressive Lydia...your Swanna is a fine specimen. Worthy of my observations indeed...but how well will she do against this? Magneton! I summon you!" Colress called out, sending out his electrical steel menace. Swanna flew upwards and backwards as it came onto the field.

Lydia sweat-dropped at this. She didn't really have much of a counter to Magneton. She hoped that she would be able to use Gurdurr but Colress wasn't dumb enough to send out Magneton against a Fighting-type. Beheeyem gave her a ton of trouble. She barely defeated it. Now she had to face something that resisted Flying-type moves. This meant she had to keep at a distance which was going to be difficult since her main strategies revolved around a combination of close and long range combat.

"Swanna, use Bubblebeam!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Swanna loosed a powerful blast of pressurized bubbles towards Magneton who fired a blast of lightning in kind, her way. The two attacks met in the air and it was the same old story all over again, only this time...with bubbles. Lots...and lots...of bubbles.

"Magneton, Mirror Shot!

"Scald!"

Magneton rotated the magnets on its body before aiming them forwards. Several blasts of steel energy erupted from the tips of the magnets which were focused on one central point. Swanna fired a hasty scald to disperse the energy.

"Gyro Ball!"

"Scald!"

Magneton began to spin wildly as it raced towards Swanna, aiming to get in close enough for the assault to work. Colress had a plan and if he worked it out as carefully as he suspected he did, this would be the end of the match. The scald crashed into Magneton who spun it off of its body, the hot water repelling away as it continued on course.

"Thunderbolt!"

 _'Crap he got in close!'_ Lydia despaired.

Magneton powered up the magnets on its body and then fired a devastating blast of lightning towards Swanna. The electricity shocked her and sent her into a tailspin towards the arena. Her body crashed into the arena and she was knocked out completely.

"Swanna is unable to battle! Magneton wins! The match goes to Colress!" The referee declared.

"And that takes care of the first match of the Semi-Finals! Wasn't that exciting?! I'm sure you're all ready for more aren't you?! So am I. Let's keep this party going with the final match of the semi's!" The announcer roared.

Katsu and Jay looked at each other and nodded, heading to different sides of the arena. This was it. He'd watched her the entire time and now he was going to face her in what could be the toughest match of his entire journey thus far. He stood on the opposite walkway and looked over at Jay. The announcer tapped the mic.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! It's time for the final match-up of the semi's! Allow me to introduce to you for the third time in this tournament, Katsu Aiko! Also known as Riolu Boy!"

 **X-X-X**

"Mr. Stu Deeoh, are you watching this?" Fredrick beamed.

"I sure am Fredrick, our star is out there and his fame is spreading like wild fire. I do hope that he will come back as we are finishing up the script for the second movie of the series!"

"Yes, the Aura League! We already have our heroes...now we just need to get them all together to create this masterpiece of a series!"

"Shall I call him after the tournament sir?"

"Perhaps when we are finished. The script is almost ready...give him another week and then call him Fredrick."

"Will do boss!"

 **X-X-X**

"And over here, we have another lovely young lady who had really made a name for herself. She's proven time and time again that she is not one to take lightly. She may be cute, but she's powerful and will definitely put you in your place. It's Jaycelyn Nalum!" The announcer called out.

Jay sauntered onto the arena, her hips rolling with every step as she stared down Katsu. His eyes flickered towards Jay as she walked into the arena. Jay's eyes squinted seductively at him as they made eye-contact. This simple motion caught his attention. He hadn't noticed it before, but her lashes were quite pronounced today. He noticed that she was beautiful before, but now? He couldn't keep her eyes off of her for some reason. It was as if he was...hypnotized? No, Jay wouldn't do that to him. But that didn't mean she wouldn't do something else.

Jay breathed in deeply, causing her generous chest to swell, causing Katsu's cheeks to tint pink. Jay's right hand rose into the air, causing her chest to rise with it as she 'stretched' while her other hand slid down the center of her chest. Katsu quickly looked away at this gesture. She was teasing him! This was something she'd never done and honestly, he was shocked. He turned to face her once more, only to find her running her hands through her hair, continuing to lure him in with her visual assault. Her fingers undid her hairtie and released her silky brown strands that waterfalled to her shoulders and down her back.

"What's the matter Katsu? Something...wrong?" Jay grinned, her eyes slowly opening fully as she gave him a once over.

A smirk crossed her features as she saw that he was indeed a little red in the face. So, even Katsu could be distracted by such things? This was something she was _definitely_ going to abuse...maliciously. Katsu couldn't formulate the words to speak. It was as if he and Jay reversed their personalities for a moment and he nearly became the stuttering awkward one. His focus was nearly thrown off.

"Combatants, are you ready?!" The announcer called out, snapping Katsu out of his daze.

He hadn't realized just how _fit_ Jay actually was. Come to think of it, her body and Alice's were pretty much on par with each other. Katsu just never thought to focus on it before. To him, personality was the most important thing that mattered as well as the heart. Looks? They were a bonus. But jumpin' Jumpluff! He never saw Jay look at him that way before. His mental process was almost thrown off from the start of the match which would not have been good.

"Let's both, do. Our. Best. Kat...su..." Jay said slowly, pursing her lips as his name rolled off her tongue, her right hand pulling aside a bang just to add an extra effect.

 _'Get it together Katsu...she's trying to psyche you out...don't let her do it...'_ Katsu thought as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready..." Katsu said as he glanced back over at Jay who was now smirking at him.

"I am as well..." Jay winked.

"BEGIN!"

"Gen, you're on!"

"Rufflet, let's go!"

Gen floated onto the field and glanced over at Rufflet with a devious grin. A mental link was formed between them as they stared one another down.

 _'So...Katsu's totally checking out Jay...I didn't even know his face could get that red...'_

 _'This is a new development...normally my father is more composed than this...although...I do find this rather humorous...'_

 _'Yeah...I was wondering when Jay was going to do this...outside of battle she's pretty much a shy and timid bundle of adorableness...but here...she uh...well...let's say she could make a Darmanitan blush...'_

 _'It's odd that you say that...it's only a matter of days before Darumaka becomes that...'_

 _'Ooo...bigger ape?'_

 _'Yep...and bigger lasers...'_

 _'Me likey...'_

 _'You would Gen...you would...'_

"Well, are you just going to stare at me all day Katsu? Or are we going to get down to business?" Jay grinned, licking her lips seductively as she gazed into his sapphire hues.

Katsu sweat-dropped at this. Just what was she trying to do to him? His heart began to race a little faster as he looked at her. Those eyes were just so captivating at this point. No...he had to concentrate on the match. He needed to stay focused! Shaking his head vigorously he shifted his attention to Rufflet.

"Tailwind, let's go!"

 _'Sludge Wave!'_

Rufflet soared high into the air and whipped up a Tailwind that increased his speed. He ducked down below the wave of sludge that was shot in his direction by Gen. The poison splashed onto the arena floor and disappeared as it hit the steel. Rufflet zipped around Gen, taunting him on the way by with a screeched challenge.

 _'Use Psychic'_

"Stay out of range!"

Gen followed Rufflet with his eyes, psychic energies coursing through his ghostly frame as he tried to lock onto the ever weaving Rufflet. The little eaglet was making it very difficult for him to lock on to.

"Circle around back and use Steel Wing!"

Rufflet nodded as he continued to stay out of range of the attack. He picked up the Tailwind and rode it swiftly around to Gen's backside. As he approached, his wings began to glow and a steel-like sheen glossed over them as he rocketed towards Gen.

 _'Turn and use Sludge Wave.'_

Gen whipped his head around swiftly and aimed a powerful blast of sludge towards Rufflet, however...it bounced off the wings due to Rufflet tilting to the side just slightly. Due to the Steel-type move he was using, the poision wouldn't harm his wings for the duration of the move. Rufflet rocketed into Gen and clipped him, sending Gen stumbling back a little bit. Sheer Force kicked in during the impact making the attack hurt a bit more.

 _'Ouch! You're tiny but you really hurt!'_

 _'Well...I am an eaglet...we're known for being rather strong even if we are small...'_

 _'Noted...but I got news for you little guy, you may be strong but you've got a long ways to go before you're able to contend with me...'_

 _'Oh? And why's that?'_

 _'You'll see...'_ Gen grinned.

Katsu kept his eyes fixated on the fight as Rufflet and Gen were weaving in and around one another. His eyes diverted back towards Jay who didn't even have her headphones in. That was one of the other things he'd noticed...among other things. Catching his glance, Jay decided to mess with him by trailing her hand slowly down the side of her exposed neck, lightly curling her fingers betwixt some strands of hair, her face turning to meet his as she placed a finger in her mouth. She bit down on it teasingly as she looked his way, squinting her eyes sensually as she met his gaze.

 _'Father?'_

 _'Yeah?'_

 _'Focus...'_

 _'Sorry Rufflet...'_

"Something wrong...Katsu? You're not...distracted are you?" Jay said in a rather soft voice, her words hotter than steam as they reached his ears.

"Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

 _'Perfect...he got careless...Hypnosis!'_

Rufflet darted in towards Gen, his wings glowing brightly as he aimed to ram into Gen. This was not going to end well. Gen released hypnotic waves towards Rufflet who fell asleep in mid-flight. The eaglet crashed into the ground and was now helpless.

 _'Psychic...then use Dream Eater...'_

Gen raised Rufflet from the ground via Psychic and then began to drain the energy out of him. Rufflet was then flung straight into the ground in a heap. Gen belched as he looked down at the knocked out Rufflet.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Gen wins!" The referee stated.

Katsu sighed softly as he returned Rufflet to his ball. Right off the bat, Jay was ahead and he was down one of his best offensive measures to her Ghost-types. His eyes flickered towards Jay who was now giving him suggestive glances which really made Katsu shiver.

"What's the matter Katsu? Cat got your tongue?" Jay inquired teasingly, running a hand down one of her thighs to draw his attention t her. She raised the hand he watched and flipped her hair with it, taking note that he was indeed paying attention.

 _'Hook...line...and sucker...'_ Jay smirked to herself as she twisted her fingers in her long locks.

 _'I've got to get ahold of myself...I need to win this next match or else I'm well...done for...'_ Katsu thought as he reached for Liepard's ball.

"Liepard, you're up!"

Katsu released Liepard from her ball and the confident mischievous feline crouched down into her battle stance, ready to pounce upon Gen. The tricky little Ghost-type turned towards Liepard with a grin.

 _'So, how much you wanna bet that Katsu and Jay end up with one another by the end of the day?'_

 _'Hmmm...well, I had thought they sorta were already...has he not said anything to her, or her to him for that matter?'_

 _'Nope...not a word about moving in another direction...'_

 _'I think I'll have to have a 'talk' with my trainer so he'll get a move on. I didn't destroy a game station just for him to be dawdling...'_

 **X-X-X**

"Looks like Jay's puttin' the moves on Katsu."

"I think you're right Maikeru...and I gotta say, holy Arceus she's good at it!" Goken exclaimed.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. Her uncanny ability to get him to make eye-contact with her is superb. Of course I could probably do it better...she's exceptionally skilled at this. I wonder where all of this is coming from...hmmm..." Alice wondered.

"Who cares? Look at how priceless Katsu's face is! His concentration is almost completely off," Hugh laughed.

 **X-X-X**

"Liepard...Feint Attack!"

 _'Then use Shadow Ball when you get the chance...but don't do it until he is about to strike...'_

 _'Hypnosis...'_

Gen released a massive hypnotic pulse towards Liepard, however the pulse missed her just as she vanished from sight. This made Gen nervous. He was weak to Dark-type moves and this was most certainly not something he liked being against. He couldn't hear Liepard at all. Suddenly, Liepard appeared before him and lashed out at him with her powerful claws. Gen was sent flying backwards, skidding to a stop at the edge of the arena.

 _'Sludge Wave!'_

Gen hopped back up and fired another wave of toxicity towards Liepard who promptly dodged it. She did not want to get caught in sticky goop like that ever again. Gen kept firing Sludge Waves while Liepard danced around them as she got closer. She still had a second command to execute and wasn't going to until she got close enough.

 _'Feint Attack and then Shadow Ball!'_

As another Sludge Wave was hurled her way, Liepard vanished without a trace for but a few moments. Gen looked around worriedly again. At that moment, Liepard was right in his face, grinning.

 _'Hi...'_ She smirked.

 _'Uh...nice kitty?'_ Gen tried.

Liepard opened her mouth and fired a blast of ghostly aura towards Gen, blasting him backwards several feet. Gen felt energy drain from his body as he rose up to his feet after the connection of the ball. Since when did Liepard know Shadow Ball?

"Oh my...I didn't know that Liepard knew Shadow Ball. Whatever will I do?" Jay smirked, drawing his attention to her soft and kissable lips.

Jay, surprisingly, knew how to flirt and did it with ease. This wasn't something she was taught by anyone. Gen, Dusk and Rif...however...knew _exactly_ where this knowledge came from. Right now...she was visually flirting with him. And what she was doing, to them, would be considered fairly tame. What she _could_ do was _not._ Still, even this would be considered a bit much by society's standards.

Katsu shifted his attention away from her face as she taunted him again. Every motion she did was just driving him nuts. He needed to remain as calm as possible. He had the tactical advantage and he wasn't wanting to give it up.

"Liepard, Shadow Ball again!"

 _'Get around behind her and use Hypnosis...'_

Liepard fired a Shadow Ball towards Gen who was fairly weakened. Gen jumped high and landed behind Liepard, aiming to put her to sleep with a Hypnosis attack.

"Night Slash, quick!"

Liepard whirled around and slashed swiftly across Gen's chest, sending the Ghost/Poison-type flying backwards towards the edge of the arena. Gen slowly got back up, having taken two Dark-type moves and a Ghost-type, he was still standing.

 _'Are you ever going to go down?'_

 _'You have to try harder than that Purple Phantom...'_ Gen grinned.

 _'Well...in that case...'_

 _'Uh uh...'_

 _'Sludge Wave now Gen!'_

 _'Sucker Punch!'_

Gen opened his mouth to release a wave of toxicity, however before the poisonous substance could even leave his mouth, Liepard was already on him.

 _'Suckeeeeeeeerr PUNCH!'_ Liepard shouted for grins and giggles as she slammed her paw into Gen, sending him flying out of the arena and crashing back down, flat as a pancake.

 _'What...was that?'_ Gen muffled into the floor.

 _'I don't know...I've just always wanted to say it...and you've got to be kidding me! You're still not o-oh..'_ Liepard finished as Gen rolled over, his face clearly out of focus.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Liepard wins!" The referee announced as Jay returned Gen to her side.

"I must compliment you on that bout Katsu. It's been such a long time since Gen has ever lost a fight. It was quite a sight to see. You're so cute when you get serious..." Jay snickered, raising her arms up to stretch, causing her chest to rise and fall once more, this time she purposely made them bounce.

 **X-X-X**

"Ah...she's pulling that tactic...classic..." Alice smirked.

"She must _really_ want to get Katsu's attention...either that or she's really trying to throw him off his game. But now that he has Liepard out there, he pretty much has control again. He just needs to...uh...yeah...if he keeps his eyes on her anymore than he has already he might lose this..." Goken stated flatly.

"Heh...Jay knows Katsu has a strong mind when it comes to battle. But as long as I've known Katsu...he's never really had much experience with dating. He's had plenty of girls _want_ to date him, but the dimwit never took the opportunity to do anything. So...Jay is basically purposely making it difficult for him. Talk about dirty...but man is this fun to watch..." Hugh laughed to himself.

"I have a feeling Katsu will turn it around though..." Maikeru chuckled.

"Right...he does have _him_ after all. And I'm sure he'll want to play once he's out..." Alice sighed.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu deviated his eyes quickly away from her distracting movements. Though he did see what she did, he had to keep his mind focused. But the thought crossed his mind once again which distracted him from his line of thought.

"Rif, go get'em!" Jay called out.

Rif hovered onto the field towards Liepard and stopped short of her.

 _'So uh...I take it this must be pretty awkward...us watching my trainer Jay flirting with your trainer...huh?'_

 _'I think the word you're looking for is hilarious...but that works too...'_

"Liepard, Shadow Ball!"

 _'Phantom Force!'_

Liepard opened her mouth wide and gathered in the power of the shadows before firing off a ball of ghostly energy. Rif vanished from sight after sinking into the floor which opened up a direct line of sight to Jay. She slowly rubbed the side of her neck, as if she had some pain in that particular spot, and then glanced sensually over at Katsu, biting her lip as she turned to face him. Katsu tried to take his eyes off of her but she was just bombarding him visually. He almost forgot about the fight. It was a good thing he felt the presence of Rif just as he came up behind Liepard.

"Feint Attack, quick!"

Liepard just _barely_ got out of the way as Rif's hands slammed together where Liepard would have been. Liepard reappeared and lashed out at Rif who was sent spinning backwards. Rif hovered back over to Jay's side and stared down at Liepard. The feline was definitely trickier than she appeared and so much faster than the average Liepard. The attack hurt, however due to the difference in power between Liepard and Rif, it didn't do as much as Liepard had hoped. Gen took four super-effective strikes before he was taken down. She couldn't imagine how much Rif needed before he bit the dust. Rif had been with Jay since he was an egg and well...that was not something that was going to be easy to beat.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Shadow Ball as well Rif!"

Liepard opened her mouth and formed a sphere of shadow induced energy which was fired towards Rif. The ghostly balloon formed his own ball of darkness and shot it towards Liepard's. The difference in power was evident as Rif's ball shattered Liepards and connected with the feline, sending her flying backwards, forcing her to use her claws to stop.

"Feint Attack!"

 _'Phantom Force!'_

Both Liepard and Rif disappeared into thin air. Liepard travelled soundlessly on the floor above while Rif waited down below. A smirk crossed Jay's features as her eyes began to glow slightly. She could pick up the faint aura around Liepard's frame as she moved stealthily above ground, waiting for Rif. She couldn't hold this view for long so she had to act fast. She wasn't very good at keeping this sort of thing up.

 _'Now!'_ Jay commanded Rif.

Rif shot out of the floor and popped Liepard out of stealth, grabbing her with both hands, dealing heavy damage to her in the process.

"Shadow Ball!"

"You too Liepard!"

Both Shadow Balls collided in the air, however, once again, Rif's was victorious and it pushed through Liepards, slamming hard into the feline who fell to the floor in a heap, unable to continue. Jay inserted a finger between her lips and then pulled it out ever so slowly, keeping her eyes squinted for Katsu to see. She then drew a line in the air to signal another point was scored for her. This made Katsu shiver. She was one win away from clenching the entire match. He was down two and she was down one. How was he going to turn this around? Katsu sweat-dropped as he watched her slide that same finger down her shirt before letting it relax at her hip.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Drifblim wins!" The announcer called out.

Katsu returned Liepard and grabbed hold of his final Pokemon. It was all or nothing on this one and he certainly wasn't going to go out without a fight.

"Marill, let's go!" Katsu called out.

Marill bounced onto the field and stopped in front of Katsu, glancing over at his competition.

 _'So...what are we lookin' at here?'_

 _'Trouble...but I've got an idea on how we can win this...'_

 _'I'm listening...'_

 _'We're going to nuke him...'_

 _'Oooooh! Yes! I likey!'_

"Well Katsu, it looks like you're down to your last Pokemon. That's so strange. You haven't been getting...distracted...have you?" Jay stated, keeping that sultry look on her face as she looked him over again.

Katsu couldn't even utter any words at this point. She was causing him to sweat, fumble his words in his mind and even his thought process was off. She had effectively rendered him speechless, save for battle commands. A satisfied smirk crossed Jay's features as she saw how nervous he was now. It was rather cute looking at it from how he saw her outside of battle.

"Marill...bounce!"

 _'Phantom Force...catch him on the way down...'_

"Marill bounced high into the air and began to plummet towards the ground. Rif had already vanished and was just waiting to catch Marill the moment he hit the ground. As Marill came down, he bounced once and stood there. Just then, Rif appeared out of nowhere and reached out to grab hold of Marill.

"Ice Punch!"

Marill quickly reacted and ducked below the arms of the ghostly balloon. He pulled his paw back and channeled icy energies into his paw before slamming it into Rif, sending him spinning from the attack he'd just taken. At that moment, Rif crystalized. He was now frozen! Katsu had a chance now!

"Now, Aqua Jet combined with Ice Punch!"

Jay could only watch helplessly as Marill performed a horizontal version of the ice missile combo they'd pulled off in Clay's gym. Marill cloaked his frame in water and took off towards Rif. His paw began to glow bright blue and soon the water around him iced over, right as he crashed into Rif.

Rif was sent rocketing backwards and shards of ice were sent everywhere. When the referee could clearly see what was going on, he spotted Marill happily bouncing back to his trainer while Rif as knocked out cold after having been frozen and hit with three super-effective attacks, one freezing him over.

"Drifblim is unable to battle! Marill wins!" The referee announced.

Jay sighed softly as she returned Rif to his ball. She smirked back at Katsu as she looked in his direction. He was able to stay focused in that fight, even though she could tell his mind was elsewhere.

"So...Katsu...having fun?" She teased, continuing to give him that heated sultry look. It made him sweat, she could see it and if it worked, why stop right?

"I gotta hand it to you Jay...you really...know how to make me...work for this win..." Katsu managed to breathe out. He was getting mentally exhausted from the mind games she was playing.

This was just a massive assault on his sense of sight. Now she had one more really strong Pokemon that he had to face. Dusk.

"Well, I'm about to make it twice as fun as before...I hope you're...ready..." Jay said confidently, licking her lips as she played with a lock of hair, twisting it around before letting it bounce back onto her shoulder.

"Dusk, come on out!"

Dusk flickered onto the battle field, his eye now fixated on Katsu. He knew what Jay was doing and it was actually quite humorous. Her father probably wouldn't approve though...but that was a different matter altogether. She was having fun right? She was laughing, smiling and obviously falling for Katsu. She wouldn't be teasing the ever living daylights out of him if she weren't.

 _'Looks like we're the last two huh?'_

 _'Yep...though I must admit...I was expecting to fight Liepard...I had hoped to avoid you...'_

 _'Why's that?'_ Marill asked, bouncing on his tail.

 _'Because while you may not look it...you are probably one of Katsu's strongest...I mean...seriously? Four wins straight at the gym? Albeit you had the type advantage...that didn't matter...you swept a gym...'_

 _'Yeah...I guess you're right...'_

 _'But I'm still going to fight you at my best...so if you want to win, you'd better be at your very best as well...'_

 _'No worries there...shall we dance?'_

"Marill, use Aqua Jet!"

 _'Shadow Sneak!'_

Marill cloaked himself in the water element before shooting off towards Dusk. However, Dusk proved faster and ducked underground, only to come up behind Marill and slam his fist into the blue mouse, sending him bouncing along the ground. Marill got back up and turned towards Dusk with a raised brow.

"Marill, Aqua Jet again!"

 _'Shadow Sneak, then Shadow Punch!'_

 _'Dig!'_ Katsu called through telepathy.

Marill continued to gather aquatic energies and then dove into the ground right as Dusk was coming up. Soon, like a geyser, Marill shot out of the ground and nailed Dusk with the combo move, sending him sprawling backwards, struggling to regain balance.

"Disable!"

Dusk turned towards Marill who turned around at the wrong time. Dusk's eye glowed bright red which caused Marill's to do the same. Dig was now disabled. This would prove troublesome. Katsu cringed as he knew what this meant. He was limited to three moves now.

 _'Will-O-Wisp!'_

Dusk gathered violet fire into his hands and then shot them towards Marill. Recognizing the technique, Katsu immediately took evasive measures.

"Marill, use Bounce!"

Marill bounced high into the air, just as the flames missed his tail. Marill came barreling downwards at Dusk who was now waiting for him to come down.

 _'Shadow Punch right as he gets within reach...'_

 _'Got it...'_

"Aqua Jet into Ice Punch!"

Hearing this, alarmed Jay. Her eyes shot up towards Marill as he continued to fall, his body now cloaking itself in several gallons of water. The aquatic energies wrapped around Marill, caressing his frame as he pointed his paw downwards, spinning as he powered up an Ice Punch. The veil of water began to ice over which spelled trouble for Dusk. Dusk gathered the power of the shadows into his fist as he was going to make a stand against a triple-stacked combo attack. He shot his fist upwards towards Marill who had solidified himself in an icicle prison that was jet propelled towards the arena. The resulting collision sent icicle shards _everywhere._ Fortunately, nobody in the audience was harmed. When the haze cleared, Marill was seen panting, standing next to a thoroughly concussed Dusk. Apparently the impact from an ice and water move combined with that of a high powered Bounce, accompanied by Huge Power, was more than he could stand up to.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Marill wins! Katsu wins the match!" The referee announced.

"Katsu has done it! He's done it folks! He managed to come from behind and clench a surprising victory! It was looking bleak for him everyone, but Katsu managed to pull through against such overwhelming odds!"

 _'Overwhelming doesn't begin to describe it...'_ Katsu blushed as he looked back over at Jay. A faint smile rested on her features as she walked over to meet Katsu.

"That was one heck of a fight Katsu. I honestly wasn't sure you'd be able to beat me...but you proved me dead wrong..." Jay giggled.

"I guess I did...I thought you had me too...had it not been for Marill freezing Rif I probably would have lost..."

"Yeah...well, you do have an extreme amount of good luck. And it helped you win today," Jay laughed.

 _'You really did win so much today Katsu...my heart is beating so fast right now...I wish you could feel it...but I think I've teased you enough for one day...'_ Jay smirked as she headed towards the sidelines with Katsu.

It was as she was passing a camera that she realized something was _very_ wrong. What if her dad saw that?! Her eyes widened and panic soon was apparent in her eyes. For some unknown reason she hid behind Katsu the moment they got to where everyone else was.

"Hey you two! That was so inte-huh? Uh, Jay? You okay?" Alice inquired.

"I...am so dead. I'm dead..." Jay repeated, holding onto Katsu's backpack as if it were her only salvation.

"You okay Jay?" Katsu inquired in a worried tone.

"My dad is going to kill me...exorcise my spirit and then kill me again. And then...he's going to ground me for all eternity to serve my descendants. My life is over!" Jay whimpered, holding onto Katsu tightly.

"Hey...he won't be that mad will he?" Hugh inquired.

"Uh...Hugh...I don't think you're met her father. I saw him on video chat. He tried to read my mind through the phone...he's a bit...out there..." Katsu said as he looked back at Jay.

"I see...well, that is certainly out there alright..." Alice interjected.

"So, you're up against that Colress dude eh Katsu?" Goken stated, walking up to the group as they were taking a break in the lobby.

"Yep...it's the final match. I wonder how it will turn out. This is going to be one interesting fight. I'll have to improvise if I want to win..." Katsu chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you're win it. You beat three really tough competitors, Jay being the toughest one of them all. I thought for sure she had you," Goken chuckled.

"Yeah...the way she was messing with your mind Katsu, got me thinking she'd all but gotten you to forfeit," Alice grinned.

Oh...speaking of that..." Katsu began.

"Jay?"

"Y-y-yeah?" Jay stammered, her usual self returning.

"Where did you learn to flirt like THAT?" Katsu inquired.

Jay blinked at this statement. At that moment, a scene flashed vividly before her eyes from one of the romance novels she'd read and she blushed profusely.

"NOWHERE!" She said hurridly, looking away as her face was now fire-engine red.

 **And that concludes the semi-final rounds! The championship is up next! I really hope you all enjoyed these past four chapters! I had a heck of a lot of fun writing them. This last one was long because I wanted to draw out Katsu and Jay's battle a bit so you all could see what she was up to. Nothing too steamy...but enough to get Katsu off his game a little. He managed to win, but boy was it ever close! Thank goodness he had Marill or he might not have pulled out the win there. So, he now faces Colress. Who will come out on top?! Find out in the next exciting installment of Icy Wrath!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Good morning everyone! How are all you lovely people?! I'm doing just fine over here. So, last chapter was quite interesting wasn't it? Katsu was seen in a way one wouldn't expect and Jay...what in Arceus's name have I done?! It was so much fun to write her being flirtatious. I cracked up so hard at the fact that Katsu said practically NOTHING the entire time. At least now he's in the final round and can focus on that right? Right? -Hears crickets- Anyway...shall we get right to it then?! I am eager as all get-out to get started! Let's keep this gravy train rolling! It's time for the final match!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 25: For The Championship!**

Katsu and Jay stood in the lobby silently for a while. Alice, Hugh, Goken and Maikeru were all talking about what was coming up on the journey, now that they were all going to take it together to a point. Jay had her headphones in and was rather silent. She was so embarrassed about what she'd done.

 _'Jay?'_

 _'Y-yeah Dusk?'_

 _'You seem rather down...is it because of how you conducted yourself in the arena?'_

 _'I-I-I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking straight. I just...I mean...I couldn't resist. I wanted to try it...'_

 _'That's nothing to be ashamed of Jay, though your father might not have liked to have seen that...most likely he did. And most likely your mother did as well. She was probably cheering you on though...'_

 _'That wouldn't surprise me Dusk...'_

 _'And besides...while you teased Katsu to the point of no return...you had fun out there. Your smile was brighter than ever AND we all know who to thank for that...'_

 _'I suppose you're right Dusk...I-I mean...Katsu's done so much for me. I wanted to show him how I was feeling inwardly and well...I also wanted to show him that I could be playful...you know? That I'm not some drab little girl who secludes herself.'_

 _'Jay? You led him around the carnival and took charge of getting him back to his old self. On top of that, you made him Castelia Cones which...I hope you never plan to ever replicate, at least with Gen...'_

 _'Hey!'_

 _'Sorry Gen...but using psychic on the mix was a terrible idea...'_

 _'It wasn't that bad was it?'_

 _'You caused the stove to catch fire and made the sink combust...'_

 _'Errr...sorry...'_

 _'It's fine...anyway, Jay? Don't worry about what you did. Honestly, do you really think that Katsu would be angry at you for it? He actually seemed to enjoy it. He was just little shocked is all...'_

 _'I see...s-so, you really think he liked it? I mean...some of the stuff I did...'_ Jay blushed, remembering every technique she used.

 _'Well Jay...you can't exactly uh...hide those...or the fact that you are as fit as Alice...I mean...look at you two for Arceus's sake! They have to keep security guards from crowding Alice by the looks of things. And I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get mobbed in the same way...'_ Gen sniggered.

 _'I don't want to be mobbed...I hear enough thoughts as it is...I don't need to know what else is going on in their minds...the only one I want to hear is...'_

 _'Is Katsu...right?'_ Dusk smiled.

Jay blushed softly and nodded, fidgeting with her hands as she always did. Did Katsu really like it though? Or had she gone too far? He hadn't said much to her since their fight ended. What if he was mad at her? What if he never talked to her anymore? That was almost as bad if not worse than anything her father could ever do. Her heart skipped at this thought. Was she really at that point around Katsu? Did she feel so strongly about him that it would be a fate worse than death if he ever stopped talking to her? Her eyes widened a bit as she thought of this. She shook her head vigorously at the thought. No. He wouldn't do that.

"Jay?"

"I'm sorry!" Jay yelped, regressing to her head bowing and stammering once more. That was, until Katsu gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

This motion caused her to freeze and look up at him. He had a smile on his face. Wait, why? Shouldn't he be reprimanding her for what she'd done? She flirted with him on TV! And he was smiling? What was wrong with this guy?!

"Calm down...I'm not angry at you..." Katsu chuckled nervously.

"H-huh? Wh-wh-what do you mean?" Jay stuttered.

"You heard me. I'm not mad, but I am a little shocked at you Jay..." Katsu smiled.

"Y-you are?" Jay inquired, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah...I have to admit...I didn't expect it...you really had my head spinning. I almost couldn't think straight..." Katsu laughed.

"I'm so-" Katsu placed his finger on her lips before she could even utter the words.

"Don't worry about it...like I said, I'm not mad. It'll take a while for me to un-see all of that...though honestly? I don't know what to think about it still..." Katsu blushed as he looked away.

He had a few minutes before the final round was to start. It was going to be one heck of a fight. He needed to strategize for this one. He had nothing that could cover the Steel-types that Colress had, save for Marill who was pretty much his walking water bomb. He knew exactly what to do for Beheeyem. He hoped he didn't have to use Rufflet considering he wouldn't do much damage to them. He turned to face Jay once more, a smile still fixated upon his visage.

"So...anyway, I really loved battling with you. I hope we can do it more often...you know?" Katsu smirked.

Did Katsu say he liked their battle? As in, he wasn't mad at her? Jay was elated and deeply confused at the same time. She blinked, having no words to say at this point. He was being nice as always. Part of her was always waiting for him to scold her like every other boy did or call her names and things of that nature. But none of that ever came. She was forgiven and even praised for what she'd done on the arena floor. Her heart swelled with happiness. How was it that he could make her feel this way? She'd been asking herself these questions ever since they'd begun to journey together. She just couldn't wrap her mind around him, so she did the only other thing she could. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. Katsu smiled softly and pulled her in closer and held her for a while.

He ran his right hand through her soft, long tresses, playing with them lightly. She practically purred as he did this. She _loved_ the feeling of him playing with her hair. The others glanced over at the two, blinking as they saw how the two were with each other.

"Although...I do think you could have toned it down a little...I didn't mind the flirting...but _that_ probably could have been done somewhere besides a place where it was televised. I'm not mad or anything...I'm just a little shaken up is all...but don't worry, I'll be fine..." Katsu assured her.

"I-I know...and once again, I'm sorry...I just...I don't know what got into me..." Jay sighed as she looked down.

She may not have been showing it, but she was incredibly ashamed of herself. Katsu said he didn't mind it, but what he really meant was that the timing was completely off. She knew those things were for times when people were alone...not where everyone could see how you worked. Honestly, she wanted to cry, but the feeling of his hands through her hair made her calm down.

Katsu heard the bell to signal the start of the championship match. A smile crossed his features as he turned to head in the direction of the arena. Jay whimpered as she felt him let go.

"Well...wish me luck. It's going to be a rough match and I don't know what to expect..." Katsu sighed.

"Y-yeah...good luck..." Jay smiled, suppressing her tears as she watched him walk away.

There it was. That painful feeling of him heading in the opposite direction. Was he really not mad at her? She couldn't understand what was going on. The others filed into the stadium and she simply stood in the lobby. Jay wanted to crawl into a corner and curl up into a ball at this point. She knew she'd done something she shouldn't have and it probably offended him even though he said it didn't. She always trusted his words but there was something in his eyes that told her something different. Was he disappointed? That feeling was something she wouldn't be able to live with. She _had_ to fix this.

She struggled to keep the tears from flowing. The regret was eating at her soul. What could she do to undo the mess she'd made? A lump was caught in her throat as she thought of the wrath her father would bring upon her. But she would take that over Katsu's rejection any day of the year. Gen and Dusk along with Rif and Zor could see the despair in her eyes. She was so conflicted at this moment.

 _'Jay...are you still-'_

 _'Yes...yes I am! Why did I do that Dusk? Why didn't I save it for later? Why am I so...so...me?!'_ Jay cried, clenching her fists angrily as she stood there. Thankfully nobody was in the lobby with her.

 _'Well...you were breaking out of your shell Jay...you wanted to. For years you've been this depressed and sad little girl too afraid to speak to anyone for fear of what might happen...I know we didn't help very much with that...and I apologize for it. But even though what you did was a bit much, I still stand by my earlier statements when I say that Katsu isn't angry with you. He said himself just now didn't he?'_

 _'Then...why do I feel this pain in my chest?'_

 _'Jay...I have a serious question for you...'_

 _'What is it Gen? Please don't say something stupid...I'm already regretting it enough as it is and-'_

 _'Do you love him?'_

Jay's eyes popped as she heard Gen ask this. The silence that followed was louder than any music she could ever listen to. She gulped. Did she love him? Well, he did make her feel like the most amazing person on the planet. Gen's question completely threw her for a loop. He'd never asked anything so serious. Sure, he could be profound, but this? What the heck? She was wrestling with her own morals after what she'd done and now a heavy hitting question like that came out of Gen's mouth. Did she love him? Silence still reigned. Out of all the questions in life that she had to answer, this was the most difficult one. Did she love him? The question repeated itself in her mind like a broken record.

 _'Do I love him?'_ She thought, saying it in her mind a few times before looking back at Gen.

 _'It's alright if you can't answer it now...but I think it's an appropriate question to ask, given the circumstances. Most people don't go out of the way like you do just to see Katsu happy. And he goes WAY out of his way to see that you are happy as well. I mean...hello? Stamp collection? Forgiving you? Diving from over 200 feet in the air to save you? Zor?!'_

 _'What's up Gen?'_

 _'Sorry Zor, was using you to make a point...'_

 _'Oh...I was sleeping, I wasn't paying much attention...but I caught some of it.'_

All of this hit Jay like a truck. Images of Katsu helping her out and making her feel amazing flashed through her mind. Did she love him? Did she love him? The question wouldn't quit echoing in her mind. She was getting a headache. She reached down and began to look for a song to switch on so she could calm down.

 _'I-I don't know...I don't know if...if he'd feel the same way. I don't feel as though...as though I'm good enough for him...'_

 _'Okay...Jay? Think about that for a moment. He risked his neck to save you. He went out of his way to bring you the happiest days of your life and you don't think you're good enough? I think it's the opposite...I think he wants to feel like he is fit for you. Don't you remember the promise he made to your father?'_

Jay did remember. She could never forget it. It was in that moment that she realized something in her head. It clicked. She had actually fallen for Katsu. She was in love with Katsu. The very thought caused her heartrate to accelerate. She clutched her bosom and closed her eyes softly.

 _'I...I do...'_ Jay thought to herself, a faint smile crossing her features.

 **X-X-X**

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINAL MATCH?!" The announcer roared, stirring the crowd into a frenzy.

"We've seen battle after battle from all of our competitors and I must say it was the most impressive display ever witnessed in this arena! And it's all come down to this moment right here, right now! Will our two finalists please come to the center of the arena?!" The announcer called out.

 _'This is it...'_ Katsu thought as he made his way towards the arena floor.

"Katsu!" Jay called out, prompting him to turn around.

"Good luck!" Jay shouted out.

"Jay..." Katsu said softly as he looked back at her. A smile dawned on his features as he saw her smile return to her face.

"Win this!" Jay continued.

"Don't worry...I will!" Katsu smirked, giving her a thumbs up.

Jay smiled in return and then made her way towards where the others were.

"You okay Jay? You were back there for a really long time..." Alice pointed out.

"Y-yeah...sorry, I...I just had some things to sort out is all..." Jay muttered.

Alice simply nodded, although she was a little worried for her now. She seemed fine, but it seemed as though there was something going on underneath the surface. Alice wasn't going to pry it out of her, she figured it would come with time. Colress and Katsu made their way to the center of the stage. Katsu's mind wasn't exactly focused just yet. Images of what Jay had done were still flooding his mind. While he was surprised at what she'd done...and probably thought she could have done it differently, part of him liked it. She really came out of her shell and in all honesty, he was happy about it.

"It seems we meet again Katsu. I look forward to gaining more data from you once agai-...hello? Are you there?" Colress inquired, catching the faraway look in his eyes.

"What? Huh? Oh...yeah...sorry..." Katsu replied, bringing his mind back around to the task at hand. He was in the final match. Right.

"You were thinking of foreplaying with your mate weren't you?" Colress deadpanned.

"N-n-no! No! That's not it...I'm just trying to focus here..."

"Uh huh. Right...well, in any case, as I said before. I look forward to gaining more data from you. I am so close in my research I can almost taste the answer. I want you to show me that you have what I seek Katsu. Prove to me now that you are capable of bringing out the power of your Pokemon!" Colress stated firmly.

A smirk crossed Katsu's features as he heard Colress speak. Everyone on the sidelines noticed Katsu's face at this point. It seemed like he was back in business. That was a relief. Katsu was about to throw down and Colress was going to find out just how strong Katsu was. He wanted data? He'd get data.

"Let's give Katsu and Colress a round of applause shall we?! These two have fought tooth and nail through everyone here to stand where they are now! It's time to find out which of them will be moving to the top! Finalists! Are you ready?!"

Katsu and Colress stared at one another before nodding to the referee.

"BEGIN!"

"Magneton, I beckon you!"

"Marill you're on!"

Both Pokemon surged onto the arena with fierce determination. Marill bounced happily on the ball of his tail as he glanced over at Katsu.

 _'So, this is the last round?'_

 _'Yep...and we're going to take it all the way.'_

 _'Aww, I was hoping there would be more. Oh well, the fun had to end sometime right?'_

 _'Are you kidding? The fun never stops...this is just the beginning Marill...'_

 _'Awesome!'_

"Magneton, use Thunderbolt!"

"Marill, Dig now!"

A powerful blast of lightning tore across the arena floor, just as Marill dove underground. This was the only advantage that Katsu had over the Steel-type. And since Magneton was a dual type, he would really feel the sting of what was to come. Marill shot out of the ground and headbutted Magneton, sending it flying. Magneton struggled to maintain control of itself after being battered so heavily.

"Looks like Magneton is more durable now. I'm guessing you trained it up before this point...this is going to be interesting..." Katsu smirked.

"And your Marill is stronger than the usual Marill...what did you say his ability was? Huge Power?"

"Yeah...that's it."

"Remarkable...he seems to be perfectly in tune to your commands and you most likely only recently caught him. I just don't understand..." Colress voiced as he typed in more notes.

"What don't you understand?"

"Well...you had three badges when we met on Route Four and yet your Riolu boasted considerably more force than most others did. On top of that...your Liepard was much stronger and confident than most of her species...it just didn't make sense...which is why I'm investigating further..."

"I see...so, is our battle telling you anything so far?"

"It's starting too...but we shall see what else it has to say when we finish the battle...Magneton, Mirror Shot!"

"Bounce and use Aqua Jet!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Magneton's magnets spun in place like rotating gears as they gathered steel energies into themselves. Soon the energy was expelled in a series of blasts which split the air as they raced towards Marill. The blue mouse bounced off of his tail, soaring high into the air above the arena. Marill then cloaked himself in water as he plummeted towards Magneton. The priority that Aqua Jet had gave Marill the speed he needed to get in close and ram into Magneton. It flew backwards from the impact and then whipped around, firing a blast of lightning at Marill. The attack connected with Marill and sent him flying backwards, sparks flying off of his frame as he landed. Thankfully, those were only from the sudden shock and not paralysis.

Marill struggled to his feet and stared defiantly at Magneton. Both of them were dinged up pretty badly now, considering Marill had poor defenses and couldn't withstand multiple Thunderbolts.

 _'I'll need to end this quick...Marill needs to be saved so he can fight again...'_

"Marill, return!" Katsu ordered, bringing Marill back so he could switch him out.

"Rufflet, let's finish the job!" Katsu called out.

Colress raised a brow at this notion. Rufflet was clearly a flying type and weak to electrical attacks. So why bring him out? Then again...Magneton was injured quite badly and that meant he was hoping for a quick finish. Colress wasn't about to let him have it easily.

"Magneton, Thunderbolt!"

"Steel Wing!"

Rufflet screeched in a challenging manner before diving towards Magneton. As the thunderous blast shattered the air, all of the power was drawn straight to Rufflet's right wing which was now coated in steel energy. The power of the assault didn't seem to bother him as he rocketed towards Magneton. Colress was taken aback by this sudden development. He frantically began to type notes into his tablet. He didn't even know that was possible. Rufflet slammed into Magneton, his sheer force ability adding to the power of the blow as the steel collage was sent flying.

Rufflet circled around and flapped his wings a few times before hovering above Magneton. The collage of magnets slowly rose from the arena floor, its attention shifting towards Rufflet in what could be considered a confused expression. How did Rufflet do that? Katsu must have figured it out and taught him a way to avoid the electrical current. This was going to be a problem.

"Mirror Shot!"

"Tailwind, let's go!"

Rufflet whipped up a Tailwind and caught it just as the blasts of steel energy ripped through the air towards him. Riding the wind, Rufflet circled around Magneton as it continued to fire steel blasts towards him. Rufflet avoided one after the other, barrel rolling around a few before diving towards Magneton.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Rufflet accelerated towards Magneton as lightning slashed through the air towards him. He leaned to the side, however a stray shot clipped him which sent him into a tailspin. Rufflet struggled to maintain altitude after being thrown off balance.

"Thunderbolt again!"

"Steel Wing!"

Rufflet coated his wings with steel once more and the blast of electricity sent his way was diverted to the conducting agent on his wings. He was barely able to pull himself up before hitting the arena floor. He launched himself at Magneton, his wings aglow as he rode the wind.

"Mirror Shot!"

"Steel Wing!"

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the arena as the two steel attacks met. When the smoke cleared, both Rufflet and Magneton were seen lying on the ground unconscious. Colress blinked at this. It must have been due to Rufflet's ability, otherwise Magneton would still be floating. Sheer Force was a powerful ability indeed. Thankfully Rufflet was unable to carry Huge Power as an ability...he didn't even want to think of that. No...too much overkill if it were possible.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" The referee announced as both Pokemon were returned to their respective balls.

"That was certainly impressive. I did not expect your Rufflet to be able to find a way to deter electricity. I will have to investigate that strategy further, now that I've seen it with my own eyes. That was quite a way to work around such a weakness...I wonder what else you'll be able to do in this match..."

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out won't we?" Katsu smirked.

"Of course...Klang, I summon you!"

"Marill, let's go!"

Marill bounced back onto the arena, somewhat scratched up but otherwise perfectly fine.

 _'Another Steel-type? Why do I get the feeling that's all he has?'_

 _'It's not...he's gog something else in wait. Right now, I need you to take out this Klang. He's the last thing standing between us and winning this thing...'_

 _'But...you said he had one more...'_

 _'Yeah, but it's weak to Liepard...and all of the attacks it has won't do jack to Liepard...it's why he hasn't used it yet. He was probably hoping I'd use her early on...'_

 _'I see...take out the threat and it's an easy victory...'_

 _'Yep...'_

"Klang, use Flash Cannon!"

"Dig, let's go!"

Klang's cogs began to rotate furiously as the steel energy formulated itself into an orb in front of Klang. The cogs soon fired off a powerful blast towards Marill who dove underground quickly to avoid it. There was no telling where the mouse would pop up next.

"Use Flash Cannon in the hole!"

Klang powered up once more and fired another cannon blast into the hole that Marill created. Marill suddenly shot out of the ground beneath Klang and body checked him before leaping out of the way. The steel energy that was fired into the hole erupted out of it and hammered Klang instead. The rotating cogs flew backwards after the sudden blast and slow regained its barrings. Marill knew that it would take quite a bit of timing to get out of that hairy situation, but he managed. Once again, Colress was dumbfounded. He could see that Marill was exhausted and yet he still boasted considerable force. Katsu's strategies were also almost flawless. Was he luring Klang into doing that?

Klang rotated around and glanced over at Marill who was awaiting more orders.

"Your Marill...his power is unbelievable for the state that he is in. He's not fully evolved and yet he boasts as much as his evolutionary level. Intriguing...you really are able to bring out the power of your Pokemon in an astounding way..." Colress smirked, typing in more information into his tablet.

"Thanks...and you're quite the battler yourself Colress."

"I'm honored that you said that Katsu. Now, shall we continue with our research? Klang, Thunderbolt!"

"Marill use Bounce and Aqua Jet!"

Marill bounced high into the air just as a bolt of lightning lashed out at him. He was now above the stadium's highest seating. The audience's eyes all followed him upwards. He soon cloaked himself in water and bolted downwards towards Klang who was waiting intently for Marill.

"Ice Punch!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Marill began to rotate in mid-air as an icy aura covered his paw. The ice soon formed a shield around his body as it enveloped the Aqua Jet, creating an ice missile that deflected the electrical current. Marill pushed hard against the current as he came down and soon he crashed into Klang with devastating force. Ice shards scattered everywhere as the two combatants slammed into the arena floor. When the haze lifted, Marill was seen standing atop Klang with one paw on the face of the cogs. Marill bounced off of Klang and bounded over to Katsu. Klang was clearly out of it.

"Klang is unable to battle! Marill wins!" The referee announced.

Colress had no words for what occurred. The creativity displayed in that match was astonishing. He'd never seen a Pokemon pull something like that off. Just who was Katsu? His Pokemon, although most of them were not fully evolved, were powerful. He seemed to be able to take Pokemon that people would otherwise consider weak, and make them much stronger. That was certainly the case with Marill. Colress returned Klang to its ball and smiled.

"You certainly are full of surprises Katsu. Which is why I am not holding back on you in this match. Beheeyem, to battle!"

Katsu smirked as he saw Beheeyem appear. This was the last one, the big boss. He hoped to be able to fight this thing and now he had the chance.

 _'Still up for a fight Marill?'_

 _'Always...let's do this Katsu!'_

 **X-X-X**

Jay watched the match closely as it was coming down to the finish. Every move they made she observed carefully. She understood why she wasn't able to defeat Katsu and it was because he had heart and incredible confidence. Not only that, he believed in his Pokemon. She did too, and even though hers were more powerful, he found a way to use their power to his advantage. It was either that...or he had incredible luck to accompany his skill. She wasn't expecting to lose to him. Her Pokemon were fully evolved and expertly trained. Katsu had just started his journey and had bested her in a contest. How did he do it? She accepted the loss and was happy he won. She wouldn't have wanted to lose to anyone else.

And now that she saw how hard he was battling in the finals...she definitely saw the reason for her loss. Katsu never gave in. Come what may, Katsu always gave it his all. A smile crossed her features as she watched the fight continue.

"Win this Katsu! I know you can!" Jay yelled out, nearly surprising the group.

Jay didn't usually cheer like this, but something told them she had her reasons.

 **X-X-X**

"It seems like you've got someone special wanting you to win. You're a lucky young man to have someone like her by your side Katsu..." Colress smirked.

"Thanks...she's a very special person indeed. I'm glad to have her on the journey with me..." Katsu smiled.

"So...I take it you plan to do more than just make small talk with her? I've been watching you closely and I've noticed quite a few things about the way you two interact...logically the two of you don't really match...but love isn't really logically based now is it Katsu?" Colress snickered.

Katsu blinked at this statment. A faint blush crossed his features as he looked back at Jay.

"What do you mean?" Katsu inquired.

"Boy...even I can see how she pines for you, and I've only known you for a few days. I'm not a love expert, I'm a scientist, but even this is obvious to me..." Colress laughed.

So even Colress could detect it. Then again...Katsu already knew he had feelings for Jay. He just hadn't sorted out what they were yet.

"But I digress...shall we continue our battle?"

"Yeah...let's..." Katsu smirked.

"Beheeyem, Thunderbolt!"

"Marill, use Dig!"

Marill dove underground as a single streak of lightning shot his way. Beheeyem didn't even make a move. The extraterresstrial Pokemon stood there without having another command given to it. Colress monitored the ground as he searched for any tell tale signs of movement. A smirk crossed his features as he saw the ground begin to crack near Beheeyem.

"Use Psyshock on the ground in front of you!"

Beheeyem raised his hand into the air and formulated several spheres of psychic energy. He then swung his hand downwards right as Marill came bursting through the ground. All of the spheres collided with Marill sending him crashing into the arena floor. Marill was knocked unconscious.

"Marill is unable to battle! Beheeyem wins!" The referee announced.

Katsu smiled softly as he returned Marill to his ball.

"Good job my friend, you worked hard, now get some rest...your friends will take it from here..." Katsu stated as he hitched Marills ball to his belt, snapping Liepard's ball off his waist in the process.

"So...previously you had hoped to battle against Liepard. I remember you being rather fascinated with her. Well, let's see what you have to say about her in this fight! Liepard, let's go!"

Liepard pounced onto the field and crouched low, her tail flicking back and forth in anticipation. She was ready for this. A devious grin crossed her features as she looked over at Beheeyem. Her head swiveled around towards Katsu, the smirk resting on her face as she looked at him.

 _'So...this is the finale huh? It's not like you to save me for last. What's the occasion?'_

 _'I figured you'd want the honor of finishing a fight instead of starting it for once. And besides, what better way to do it than in the finals?'_

 _'So we're there huh? I like that. And I can already taste victory...this is going to be fun..'_

 _'Then let's play a game...shall we?'_

 _'I like games...'_ Liepard grinned.

"Trick Room!"

''Feint Attack!"

Liepard vanished just as the Trick Room was set up. Her feet stealthily moved along the ground as she raced towards her opponent. Within seconds she was upon Beheeyem with her claws outstretched. She made a solid connection, sending Beheeyem stumbling backwards. Beheeyem managed to get to his feet and dust himself off.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Beheeyem was quicker, due to Trick Room, and thus his attack had priority. Before Liepard could even launch her assault, the blast struck her powerfully. She was knocked backwards, her claws grabbing hold of the arena to avoid skidding any farther. She shook her head vigorously and hissed at Beheeyem. She did not like that feeling at all. Since Trick Room was up, she was now the slower Pokemon. Katsu had a feeling Colress would do this to make up for Beheeyem's lack of speed so he could capitalize on his power. This was not going to be an easy fight.

"Feint Attack!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Liepard barely managed to get away from the fast moving assault. Her speed was not helping her in this case since the Trick Room made her slower. She appeared behind Beheeyem and lashed out at him, knocking him away once more. Beheeyem regained his barrings before turning back towards Liepard. He wanted to end this quickly.

 _'Liepard's speed isn't helping her much...this isn't good. Beheeyem is faster thanks to that stupid thing he'd set up. What can I do to get the jump on...wait! Duh! Speed doesn't matter with this move...in this case anyway...'_

"Thunderbolt!"

 _'Sucker Punch!'_

As Beheeyem powered up, Liepard suddenly converged on him with blinding speed, her claw outstretched as she hammered down upon Beheeyem with brutal force. Beheeyem was sent flying across the arena, bouncing and skidding before finally stopping at the edge of the arena. Colress adjusted his glasses as he tried to process what had occurred. He knew that Liepard was slower than Beheeyem due to Trick Room. So how did she suddenly close the distance so quickly? He palmed his face as he realized what happened. Liepard was going to remain quicker no matter what he did at this point, thanks to that move.

The Trick Room faded and Beheeyem stood back up, slightly dazed as he looked back over at Liepard. He had no idea what hit him but he knew he couldn't take another assault like that.

"Thunderbolt again!"

"Feint Attack and end it with Night Slash!"

Beheeyem fired off a massive electrical attack which shattered the air before him. Liepard flickered from view in a burst of speed, her predatory instincts kicking in as she soundlessly darted towards her prey. Her claws began to glow with dark energies as she raced forward through the shadows. A few seconds later, she appeared before Beheeyem with claws outstretched. She lashed out at him with vicious intent, landing behind him in a crouched position. Silence reigned as both of the combatants remained perfectly still. The air was thick with tension and everyone was now on the edge of their seat. Jay held her breath, as did the rest of her friends. And then it happened. Beheeyem collapsed with a thud.

For a moment, nothing was said. And then the crowd burst into a chorus of cheers.

"Katsu! Katsu! Katsu!" The crowd chanted as his face appeared on the board with the word 'WINNER' beneath it.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! KATSU WINS! KATSU WINS! After an astonishing down to the wire battle, Katsu pulled out on top and defeated Colress! What an amazing battle. I can honestly say I didn't know who was going to win at this point. What a fight! This is what it's all about folks!"

 **X-X-X**

"YES! Katsu won! That's my boy!" Jennifer cheered loudly.

Madeline jumped up and down with Jennifer, joining Katsu's mother in her jubilation. Jill breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the broadcast come to a close. He won! That made her very happy. She jumped up and down excitedly with her mother.

Jennifer's XTransceiver went off and she opened it up.

"Our boy won!" Jennifer's husband, named Kazuhiro Aiko, yelled excitedly.

"I know! I'm so proud of him!"

 **X-X-X**

"Fredrick! Look at that! Our star has just been crowned the winner of the World Tournament! This is huge. HUGE! Not only was he a success in the first movie, but now he has gone on to become an even bigger star! We simply must inform him we have a new script for him to look at. Our ratings will skyrocket!"

"Indeed they will boss! When shall I make the call?"

"Hmmm...we must give him time to rest after such an event. Give him about a week or so. I want to see if he will star in one of our films again. Let him rest for now."

"As you say boss!"

 **X-X-X**

"As I expected. You are a remarkable trainer. I must admit, I hadn't expected you to have become so strong so quickly. You are able to truly bring out the power of your Pokemon in ways I never would have thought possible. I have learned very much from our battle. The strength they possess is truly amazing. I believe I've gathered sufficient data and I can safely call this a successful experience...I look forward to meeting you again...Katsu..." Colress stated with a smirk.

"You're not so bad yourself Colress, I enjoyed myself back there. You are one heck of an opponent. I would have been happy no matter what the outcome of that match. You pushed me to my limits...just like Jay did. I hope we meet again too. Take care..." Katsu grinned.

"Indeed..."

"Katsu and Colress, please report to the lobby to be awarded your Prizes. Lydia and Jay, your prizes are ready as well. Thank you," the announcer called out, prompting everyone to begin to file out of the arena.

"Heh...I suppose our parting is delayed for now. I am curious to see what the prize is."

"Me too Colress..." Katsu chuckled as the two walked out of the arena.

Katsu met up with Jay who greeted him with a rather tight hug. Katsu hugged her back in rhe process.

"You did it! I knew you could win!" Jay shouted joyfully, blinking as she saw Colress behind him. She didn't care at this point. She squeezed Katsu once more before pulling away, shuffling her feet in her usual cute manner.

Yes, the old Jay was back. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at her feet. A smile crossed Katsu's features as he saw Jay's shyness was still there. Honestly? This was one of the things he was attracted to in the first place. But he was happy she was breaking from her shell. A more confident Jay was something he liked seeing with a little touch of shyness as well. Add that in and there was no other combination in the world that could be sweeter.

"Thanks Jay...your support means a lot to me..." He said with a soft laugh.

"Re-really? Even after-"

"Yes...even after that. Didn't I already tell you that I'm not mad?" Katsu chuckled.

Jay still found it hard to believe. She simply sighed and offered a smile.

"Katsu! That was amazing!" Alice exclaimed as she ran up to him, Hugh and the others following behind.

"That was quite the show Katsu. You and Colress really know how to make everyone nervous," Goken laughed.

"Oi, Katsu, that was great. You're going to have to teach me some of those combination attacks. I want to try them out with Dewott," Hugh grinned.

"Way to go Katsu, you really proved your worth out there," Goken nodded.

"Thanks guys, Colress was a really strong opponent. I had quite a tough time battling him. He and Jay really took a lot out of me..." Katsu chuckled.

Jay blushed a little and looked away from him. She played with her hair a little as he continued talking. She had been quite an obstacle for him to overcome. It was in that battle that she found herself wanting to know more and more about Katsu. It was as if she were magnetically drawn to him. She felt so relaxed when he was near. Even the sound of his voice soothed her.

Lydia made her way over with her boyfriend to congratulate Katsu as well.

"You really are something Katsu. I have a feeling that if I had to fight you, I probably wouldn't have lasted very long. You pretty much had all the bases covered with my team..." Lydia laughed.

"You still had a strong team. I would have liked to face you either way. Now...one question remains. What are our prizes?"

"I have them right here for all of you!" A chipper female voice came, causing Katsu and the others to turn around.

"Colress, you recieve a cash prize of 375,000 Pokedollers and an insignia ring made of platinum with diamonds and pearls embeded in it. You also receive your picture on the wall as one of the final four," The woman stated, handing him the ring and the cash prize he'd just won which was transferred over as credits so he wouldn't have to carry around so much paper.

"For you Jay, you receive 250,000 Pokedollars as well as an ring with a sapphire gem embedded into it. Your picture will go into the spot for third place showing you participated in the final four," The woman smiled, handing Jay her ring which she found rather nice. It reminded her of Katsu's eyes which was why she took a liking to it.

"Lydia, you receive a prize of 200,000 Pokedollars and a ring with an emerald inside of it. Your picture will also be placed on the wall as the fourth place in the semi-finals," The woman smiled, handing Lydia her prizes as well.

"And now for you Katsu...your prize consists of a ruby ring, 500,000 Pokedollars, the first place photo and one other very special prize," the woman said as she turned around to beckon her assistant to her. A man carrying an egg came over to Katsu and offered it to him.

"This is a Dratini egg. Dratini are exceptionally rare considering they are called the 'Mirage Pokemon.' Not many have seen them though. However...they do have many colonies under the water meaning there are plenty to go around. However...finding them is the tricky part because they like to hide..." The woman smiled as Katsu took the egg.

It was another egg for him to raise. First it was Rufflet, now it would be a Dratini. Katsu didn't know what to say. Dratini, when fully evolved, were powerful. He wasn't sure if he could accept such a gift. Then again, he had earned it...right? A smile crossed his lips as he reached out and took the egg.

"I gladly accept this egg. It'll be fun to raise it. I can't wait to meet my new friend..." Katsu smiled.

"Well, that concludes the tournament. We'll be closiing down here soon. I hope you all had fun competing. Do come back again and participate. We would love to have you," the woman smiled.

"Oh, I have a feeling we will..." Katsu smirked.

 **X-X-X**

The gang all gathered outside of the stadium. Everyone seemed to be rather exhausted as it was getting late. The lights were on outside the stadium so everyone could see when they left. Some were congratulating the winners on their victories and others talked with the other competitors looking for battling tips. A lot were trying to get Katsu and Alice's autographs. As this was going on, something very peculiar caught Hugh's attention.

He thought he was seeing things at first, but after a closer look, he realized he wasn't. There, with their back turned, was a member of Team Plasma, just casually walking down to the south pier. His eyes widened as he saw the member turn and look at him. Recognizing Hugh, the man broke off into a sprint towards the pier. Katsu caught this as well. Colress, who was standing just outside spotted this as well.

"Katsu...cover me..." Hugh said before taking off in a sprint.

"Wait, you mustn't!" Colress called out to Hugh who continued running.

"He's not seriously thinking of doing something so ridiculously stupid is he? Does he have a death wish?! That's so reckless..." Colress said, gritting his teeth.

"That's just how Hugh is...he won't stop until Team Plasma is brought down. Speaking of...Goken, Alice, Jay, Maikeru! We gotta cover Hugh!" Katsu called out as he tied his egg to the backpack and bolted forwards. Everyone else was right behind him, save for Colress who stayed back, shaking his head at the lot of them.

 **And that wraps up the tournament! Five action packed chapters later it all comes to a close! I hope you all enjoyed those chapters! And now it looks like Katsu has come into the posession of a Dratini egg. I know what you're thinking, why so late? Don't worry, there are plenty of opportunities in this series for it to hatch and fully evolve before the final showdown. Black 2 and White 2 took FOREVER to get through if one did all the events and things like that. Our boy will have his lovely pseudo-legendary in time. Now it's onto one of my favorite parts of the game! Time for the Plasma Frigate! Next time on Icy Wrath!**


	26. Chapter 26

**And hello again everyone! It's time for the next chapter! I hope you're all ready for it! So Katsu ended up clenching the victory. And now he's got a Dratini! Well, an egg anyway. So, now it's time for the Plasma Frigate! I always loved this part of the game. However, as usual, there is a bit of my own spin on it. There are now six trainers headed towards the ship instead of three. Well, seven, counting Cheren since he'll catch up. It's going to be interesting. Hugh never was one to think before he acted was he? Oh well, let the fun begin! All aboard!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 26: Aboard the Icy Frigate!**

Hugh bounded down to the south pier, Katsu and the others behind him as they ran to catch up. He just had to get his sister's Purrloin back. His obsession for it could be considered maddening. He was disappointed in himself because he had been too weak to defend Jill back then. Now was a different story however. Now, he would be able to defend anyone. He had become stronger and Team Plasma was about to feel his rage.

Hugh skidded to a stop at the pier and saw that there was a rather large frigate in front of him. The ship was _enormous._ Had it been there the whole time? Katsu and the others caught up to him and stopped to look at the gargantuan ship. It was an imposing structure to say the least. There must have been dozens of Team Plasma members on board. Hugh knew how large the team was. What he didn't know, was that they had recently branched out. There was a new team added into the Team Plasma lineup.

The six of them all walked onto the ship rather slowly. It was quiet. Way too quiet. There was a chill in the air that caused everyone to shiver. Cheren had caught up with the group after he was informed of what was going on. He was all too familiar with Team Plasma and wasn't wanting the group to get into something they wouldn't be able to handle. Six strong trainers and a Gym Leader sounded a lot like overkill. But they had no clue what was waiting for them aboard that ship. As they reached the top of the steps, they saw four hooded individuals along with several Plasma Grunts surrounding them.

Each of them had a Plasma insignia on the chest of their cloaks. One was a female, the other three were male. One of them had a blade on his back, similar to that of Katsu's. The other two had sleeveless cloaks and were well built like Maikeru and Goken. The girl was rather petite but had a model figure. On the hood of the cloak, each of them had a Roman numeral ranging from I to IV.

"It would appear we have guests on board our ship...I apologize...we didn't rollout the welcome mats like we should have. How rude of us..." The female of the group spoke up.

"Indeed...it was rather unthoughtful of us..." The sword wielding one concurred.

Katsu caught sight of the sword user reaching for his blade. Katsu swiftly pulled out his own and the two slashed downwards at the same moment. A Vacuum Wave shot out of his while an Air Slash expelled from the other man's blade, the two attacks connecting.

"As I thought...you are an Aura Adept...interesting..." The male with the sword said as he held his blade out to the side.

Katsu's eyes narrowed at the man. That attack nearly hit Jay. He did _not_ take too kindly to someone he held so close being targeted. He didn't like it when _any_ of his friends were in danger for that matter. His expression was now a stoic and unamused gaze. If there was one thing Hugh knew about Katsu, it was to never _ever_ piss him off. This was just another reason why.

"So...an Aura Adept...a Martial Artist...and I am sensing...yes...it's faint...a Psychic...like me..." The female smirked, her eyes looking directly at Jay.

"Cut to the chase...who are you guys and why did you try to attack us?" Katsu said coldly.

"Ah...it was merely a test. You see, my dear friend Darius has been feeling the presence of another like himself. All four of us have ever since we have been here. We are known as the Duskbringers. There are only four of us as you can see...but each of us has several under our command. Should you desire to face us...you must get through our comrades before then..." The female smiled, her eyes veiled by her hood.

At that moment, all of the underlings sent out their Pokemon. There were a lot of Muk as well as Bisharp amongst the members. Zangoose was as to be expected and Golbat with a few Crobat in-between were seen. Raticate and Wheezing were scattered here and there as well. Katsu's attention was focused upon the four in the back. They all seemed to be intently watching this ambush with mild interest. He remembered what the female said. He deduced that her specialty must be Psychic-types while the other two were fighting...and then there was the one with the sword. Judging by the technique that was used, he'd guess Flying-types.

Katsu glanced down at his belt and weighed his options. A smirk crossed his lips as he knew exactly who to release to be able to deal with the majority of the issues. Jay had her Pokemon out all the time so she was set to go. Hugh already had Simisear and Dewott along with Tranquill and Watchog out. Yes, everyone had their entire team out at this point. Katsu released his team and as soon as he did, the entire ship dove into chaos.

Steel clashed with steel as Excadrill went blow for blow with Bisharp. Tranquill took to the skies with Katsu's Rufflet who began knocking away Golbat one after the other. Darumaka was having a field day dancing around the ship, mostly trying not to set everything on fire. Riolu took on a few Zangoose alongside Monferno and Gallade. Everything was chaotic as the battle broke out.

It was getting very hectic on the ship. At some point in the chaos, Katsu turned his attention towards the four standing behind the Grunts. Their underlings Pokemon were dropping one by one over time and it didn't seem to bother any of them in the least. As the last Pokemon of the Grunt's fell, the female one of the four stepped forward and overlooked the field.

"Well...I must say, I didn't think that all of you would last against the odds that were so obviously stacked against you. I heard rumors about how powerful you all were...but I never expected it to be like this. I should have known that these weaklings wouldn't be much of a challenge for the lot of you. Especially you...Katsu Aiko..." The young woman cooed.

Katsu didn't show the slightest bit of interest in her tone. His stare remained the same as it had been.

"Yes, we know your name. Oddly enough...we watched your movie and while we loved it...you are our enemy...and fame isn't going to change that..." She grinned deviously as she looked his way.

Her eyes began to glow a bright pink hue. Jay recognized what she was doing immediately and stepped in front of Katsu, her eyes glowing in the same manner. Their Psychic energies connected with a powerful clash, creating sparks in the air as they pushed against one another's power. Katsu looked down at Jay as she struggled to maintain her focus. Katsu could tell that the other young girl was far more skilled than Jay with this sort of thing. But that didn't seem to deter Jay from doing what she was to protect Katsu.

As he looked up, he saw Darius reaching for his blade. Katsu instinctively reached for his own and before he knew it, the two connected swords and were locked in combat with one another. Their battle waged all around the ship. Everyone could hear the steel blades making connections as they fought. Goken turned towards one of the other four that he noticed looking at him and stood erect, waiting for him to move. The fighter on the other side darted forwards with great swiftness, aiming a straight punch for the jaw. The attack was parried by Goken.

Maikeru found himself locked into a battle as well. Soon, not only were the trainers fighting one another, but their Pokemon were out, clashing with them. The female Psychic who was battling Jay had a Sigilyph, a Reuniclus, a Gothetelle and a Musharna. As expected, Katsu's opponent, Darius, had a Mandibuzz, a Crobat, a male Unfezant, and an Archeops. Goken's opponent had a Conkeldurr, a Throh, a Mienshao and a Scrafty. Maikeru was facing off against a similar setup, only a Sawk was in place of Throh and an Emboar replaced Conkeldurr.

Jay was struggling mentally at this point. Her Pokemon were doing just fine however the same could not be said about her. She had been trying so hard to develop her Psychic powers for the last five years but was still unable to pass any of the harder tests. And now she was taking on someone who clearly had more power than she did? Her head began to hurt as she felt herself giving way.

"I think it's about time I stopped going so easy on you..." The young woman grinned as she tapped into deeper depths of her power reserves, pushing out a more forceful Psychic attack.

Suddenly, Jay was lifted from the ground, unable to break from the stronger attack that bound her. She was raised high above the ship at a very dangerous height. A sadistic grin crossed the face of the hooded woman as she held Jay up there as she struggled against her grip.

"You see...we were sent to eliminate you. We were given specific orders to put you all away for good so you wouldn't ruin our plans...and we aren't going to fail Ghetsis..."

Katsu's eyes snapped towards where Jay was being dangled as he parried a strike from Darius's blade.

"I think we'll start with this weakling of a Psychic here..." The woman grinned as she swatted her hand downward, sending Jay plummeting towards the floor of the ship.

Darius lashed out at Katsu to keep him distracted, however as his blade came down he met with nothing but air. Katsu dove from where he was standing which was a good fifteen feet from the floor and caught Jay, twisting so that if they landed, he would take most of the injury. Once again...they felt no impact. Rif had acted quickly enough and caught them both. Jay couldn't feel the girl's hold on her any longer. When she looked up, Gen was using his superior Psychic power to disrupt the assault. He had a dark aura around him, signaling he meant business.

Katsu was about to set Jay down when an Air Slash came in his direction. He quickly ducked down, the attack severing a few strands of his hair on the flyby. He set Jay down and whirled around, firing off a Vacuum Wave towards Darius who was blown off his perch. Flipping in mid-fall, Darius landed, rubbing his left ankle as that was where the trouble was. Goken and one of the two fighters were still battling it out. Maikeru was in the middle of his fight as well. Hugh, Alice and Cheren were fending off a few remaining Grunts.

"What's going on here?!" A voice shouted, interrupting everything that was in progress.

A man in a thickly layered lavender coat wearing an oddly shaped winter hat was seen walking out onto the Frigate. There were three other men wearing assassin-style uniforms right next to him. Cheren's eyes shot towards the man and he immediately recognized him.

"You've got to be kidding me...I thought you were long gone. You're the one who was shivering in the freezer that day! You're Zinzolin!" Cheren pointed out.

"YOU AGAIN! I should have squashed you when I had the chance all of those years ago. Well...if you think I'll allow you to spoil our plans to rule Unova you are sadly mistaken. All of Unova will soon feel our Icy Wrath! And I won't let snooping little meddlers like yourselves get in our way! Shadow Triad, get them out of here!" Zinzolin roared.

"But Zinzolin...why don't you just let us finish the job we started? We could easily eliminate them here and now..." The young woman inquired, pouting playfully at her superior.

"Because Ghetsis is calling us...that's why. And you know he hates when we do not come on time. Or have you forgotten the last time we nearly forgot about a meeting? He also needs you at headquarters at once...there is a job he has for the four of you and he would rather you not monkey around here! And besides...our work here is done. We have everything we need to move on to the next phase. So, as I was saying...Shadow Triad, get them off this ship!"

"You do realize that we are not obligated to take orders from you...right?" One of the Shadow Triad stated coldly.

"Yes, I know that, but right now they need to be gone! Kick them out!" Zinzolin barked.

"It looks like you all got lucky...but next time...I won't hesitate..." The young woman smirked.

Jay glared back at her, sweat trickling down her visage as she made eye-contact. As she was about to reply, she suddenly felt nothing around her for about ten seconds. When she opened her eyes, Katsu, Goken, Alice, Hugh, Cheren and Maikeru were all back at the stadium. What had just happened?

"It looks like they did it again. At least they had the decency to leave us conscious this time..." Katsu muttered.

"You...have got to be kidding me!" Hugh roared as he glared towards the pier.

"Team Plasma! You cowards!" Hugh growled. He was clearly upset about this. It would make the sixth time that Team Plasma had gotten away from them.

Hugh was clearly frustrated. Goken cracked his knuckles and neck after a rather interesting bout with another battler who used a similar style. Maikeru also had his hands full battling someone just as powerful. The two thought about what had transpired. It was usually unheard of for trainers to battle physically alongside their Pokemon unless of course, they were Aura users or Psychic.

"It looks like Team Plasma really branched out over the years...I don't remember them ever having people like that with them. I mean...sure, there's the Shadow Triad...but now...what were they called, Duskbringers?"

"You're right Cheren...Team Plasma never had them. They seem more ruthless. On top of that...they tried to kill Jay..." Hugh muttered.

Katsu glanced over at Jay who was dead silent. She hadn't said a word since the event on the ship.

"Jay? Is everything o-"

"No...no it's not Katsu..." Jay said as she turned to walk away.

"Jay, hold up!" Katsu called after her.

He was about to follow her when Dusk stepped in front of him.

 _'Just leave her be for now Katsu...something tells me she's upset at herself...'_

 _'For what?'_

 _'You see Katsu...Jay, for the longest time has been trying to develop her powers to satisfy her parents. They are both powerful Psychics and like the rest of her family she has a duty to uphold. Right now she is unable to control her powers and because of that...she cannot wield them properly. She lost in a contest of will and is feeling disheartened...I suggest you wait a while before going to speak to her...'_

 _'I see...so that's what's bugging her...how come she never told me about it?'_

 _'She didn't want you to think that she wasn't good enough...'_

 _'Come again?'_

 _'In essence...she worries that...well...it's best you find out for yourself. Give her about an hour...she just needs some time to herself...'_

 _'Alright...I guess I can deal with that...'_

 _'Thank you Katsu...'_

 _'No problem Dusk...'_ Katsu replied as Dusk vanished from view.

"Well guys...we can't do too much about it here. The ship is probably gone by now and we have no clue as to where they are now...let's just get some rest. We'll all regroup in the morning and continue on our way..." Alice sighed, turning to head into the Pokemon Center.

Hugh had already gone inside as he was frustrated with the results of their venture. How? How could that happen again? He got so close to finding the answers he was looking for only for them to slip through his fingertips again! It was infuriating. The rest of them all went into the center while Katsu just stayed outside. He sighed softly as he turned and looked at his team. All of them were still out of their balls and they could tell he was distraught for some reason.

 _'Is everything okay father?'_

 _'Ye-no...not really...Rufflet..'_

 _'That's new...you're usually alright...'_ Riolu said as he crawled onto Katsu's left shoulder.

 _'I know...but...it's about Jay...'_

 _'I see...you're worried about her because of what she said right?'_

 _'Exactly Liepard...I don't know what to think...she usually doesn't walk away like that...'_

 _'She probably wanted to have some time to herself Katsu...'_ Excadrill replied.

 _'I know that...Dusk told me that...but I feel as though I should go and talk to her...'_

 _'Are you sure?'_

 _'I'm sure Riolu...I'm going to check in first, then I'm going to find her...'_

 **X-X-X**

Jay sat on the Driftveil Bridge in silence. She'd wandered pretty far from the rest of the group and that's how she planned to keep it for now. Images of the fight she had flashed through her mind. The fall she experienced and the quick save by Katsu. This was the second time he'd rescued her. Why did she feel so useless?! If only she were stronger. Sure, she could take the girl in a battle with her Pokemon, that was no problem. But her control over Psychic energy was much weaker than the other girl's and that nearly killed her. She felt as though she was having the life sapped from her body as she hung in the air.

She hated that feeling. She was able to hold her off for a short period of time but that was about it. She probably only lasted a few minutes in that mental battle before she was overwhelmed. And to add insult to injury...the girl had toyed with her. This was something she could not accept. She was so tired of feeling this way. She had been stepped on enough by society and called a freak more times than she could handle. She pulled her knees into her chest as she looked out over the bridge.

Her ears twitched as she heard footsteps behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She knew more than enough about him to know how he sounded when he walked. She chose not to say anything at all.

"I'm not going to pretend I don't know something's up...what's wrong Jay?" Katsu said as he slowly sat down beside her.

"The same thing...over and over...it's the same. Stupid. Thing. Me..." Jay grumbled, burying her face into her knees, hoping he wouldn't press the issue.

"What do you mean?" So much for him not continuing.

"Katsu...do you realize how lucky you are? You have friends that care about you and look up to you. I _envy_ you Katsu. Every. Single. Day. I notice how relaxed you are. Everything you do, you do it so easily! You can battle without even trying, and you help people as sad as me without a second thought!" Jay began, tears beginning to spill from her eyes as she started to let loose.

"Hey...it's not as easy as it looks Jay..."

"You have a RIOLU Katsu! On top of that, he _chose you!_ Everyone knows that when a Riolu or Lucario has chosen their trainer they are _destined_ for great things! Not only that, but to make me green with envy even more, you're _Aura Adept._ You're amazing Katsu!" Jay cried, looking away from him with tearstained eyes.

"Jay..."

"But me...my powers have alienated me from everyone in society who isn't part of my family. I get called a _freakshow_ or tons of other hurtful names I'd rather not think about...and I ruin people's day when I try to help...no wonder my only friends have been ghosts or dead people...I'm so...worthless...nobody wants me..." Jay choked out, not having any idea that Katsu had scooted a little closer to her.

"Are you done feeling sorry for yourself Jay?" Katsu inquired, causing Jay's head to snap towards him, her eyes watering because of the pain she was feeling.

"Katsu...I don't think you un-"

"You don't think I understand? Because from where I'm standing...I can see perfectly what you are trying to tell me...you feel like you don't fit in. But you know what? You're wrong..." Katsu said firmly, causing Jay to tear up even more.

"But I was so useless back there! I couldn't hold her off...she tried to attack you and...and...I was stupid to have tried to play the hero...I just...I just wanted you to see that I could be strong..." Jay sobbed.

"Did you forget about the hard time you gave me in the tournament? The Jay I saw in there was strong and confident. The Jay I'm seeing right now is the same one that I faced back there...only she seems to have forgotten just how special she really is..." Katsu smiled.

"I don't feel special...I feel rotten...and us-"

Katsu placed a finger on her lips and calmed her down.

"Shhhh...you're not useless. You wanted to repay me for having saved your life...so you took charge. I'm proud of you for that Jay. You're not useless...so stop getting so down about what you can and cannot do...because the truth of the matter is Jay...you're wonderful, no matter what you think of yourself..." Katsu said softly.

This practically broke her. Why? Why did he keep saying that? Why did he keep telling her she was wonderful, or beautiful? Why couldn't he just tell her the truth? Yes...she had a hard time believing him when he said these things. Nobody but her family had said this about her and yet here Katsu was, being unrealistically nice to her. She couldn't place it. She cried hard and did the only thing that made sense at that moment. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"Katsu...I just don't understand you...why are you so nice to me?" Jay choked out.

"Because...you've been nice to me. You've made my journey nothing but joyful. I feel like I can laugh more when you're here. Hugh's mostly serious and Alice is well...Alice. Goken and Maikeru I hardly know. I had a feeling that you were something special the moment we first made eye-contact. Your eyes told me everything..." Katsu smiled softly.

"R-r-really Katsu?" Jay sniffed, looking up at him while he reached out to wipe her tears away.

"Yes...really. Honestly Jay, I don't know how you don't notice how wonderful you actually are. You brighten my day whenever you're around."

"But...I'm so...clumsy, and awkward...and...I-"

"You're great just as you are Jay...you can be strong and confident when you want but you can also be soft and gentle as well. I like those things about you. When I'm around you...I feel happy. I know I've said that before...but it's true..."

"You mean it Katsu?" Jay inquired as she looked into his eyes, no stutter found in her voice this time.

"Yes...I do mean it. So quit worrying about me being mad and just accept the fact that it's probably _never_ going to happen..." Katsu chuckled.

Jay sighed softly and shook her head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you Katsu...you make my head hurt sometimes. And yet...it doesn't really bother me as much...you are very strange Katsu."

"Well, that's not the first time I've been called that...and it probably won't be the last. Now...what do you say we get inside? It's getting a bit cold out here..." Katsu replied as he walked over to Jay as she stood up.

"K-Katsu?" Jay stammered.

"Yeah?"

"Th-thanks...you're always there to bail me out of situations like this...and you're right. I really do need to stop feeling so sorry for myself. So...I've decided...Katsu, will you train with me?"

"Come again?"

"Will. You. Train. With. Me?" Jay asked again.

"Battling? Because you're already good at that...I should be asking you for pointers..."

"No...I mean what you and Riolu do..."

"Oh...I see...are you sure?"

"Yes...I want to be able to develop my powers more and I want you to help me do it. I know I'm not a physical fighter but I also know that you are able to increase your aura output at will...I want to learn to do the same thing with my powers. So...can you and Riolu train me? Please?"

Katsu didn't know what to think at the moment. Jay seemed really adamant about it. And if there was one thing he learned, when she wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it. He learned that from the carnival. With a soft sigh he turned and gave her a smile.

"Alright...I'll talk to Riolu about it. Maybe I can borrow Goken's Gallade as well...having an actual Psychic-type would probably help quite a bit. For now though...let's get some rest, okay?"

"Alright...thank you Katsu..."

"You're welcome Jay..." Katsu replied as the two headed towards the Pokemon Center to check in.

A new day awaited those two along with the rest of the group. Katsu made it back into his room and practically passed out on his bed while Jay stayed awake in her room. Her mind was no longer fixated on the battle from earlier. Instead it was on, guess who; Katsu. He had come to her aid yet again and what did she do? She'd walked away from him at first only to have him pursue her. She just couldn't figure him out no matter how much she tried. However, something was made a little more clear in that moment.

Katsu truly cared about Jay. There was no denying it now. After everything they'd been through together, he had been patient, kind and caring towards her. She was all sorts of awkward and he _still_ wanted her company. Did this mean he...could it be that he felt the same way about her? Her heart fluttered for a moment at the thought of this. It was a nice dream in theory. But part of her was inclined to think it wasn't the case. A sigh escaped her lips as she her head hit the pillow. She rolled over to notice that Zor was by her side, crawling into her arms to be snuggled.

Jay smiled softly and a few tears flowed down her cheeks as she held Zor. Katsu had given him to her and she was going to treasure this little fox for a lifetime. Her mind was swept away into a whirlwind of fantasies as she slept, the majority of them having Katsu as the focus. Yes...Jay had it really _really_ bad.

 **And that takes care of that! So yeah...I deviated from the game version of what happened on the ship. So, the Duskbringers have been introduced! Jay almost dies...again, and Katsu comes to her rescue as usual. Not that he doesn't mind though. So, what did you all think? Different huh? I wanted to give Team Plasma a bit more diversity because it seemed to me that their real heavy hitters were just...the Shadow Triad and Zinzolin and Ghetsis. Sure there was Colress but he dissolved Team Plasma and was sort of on the player's side the entire time anyway, so I don't count him. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Credit to PG-13 for the small ending bit with Jay. He and I talked about it a while back so I was looking for a good place to insert it. Anyway, stay tuned for more of Icy Wrath!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello again all you lovely people! How did you all enjoy the last chapter? That was my take on the frigate. I thought I would do it a bit differently because while I liked what was done in game...I wanted to add my own twist to it. You all ought to know me by now, I don't follow the game completely. As you all can see...I deviate from it...A LOT. I hope it doesn't bother any of you. Anyway, now that we got that mess out of the way, it's time for them to be on their way into Chargestone Cave! Notice, I did the whole Deerling thing out of order for plot purposes. Now, let's see how Katsu and the gang manage themselves. It's going to be quite interesting that's for certain. Let's get started shall we?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 27: The Swords of Justice!**

"This doesn't make any sense..." Cheren muttered as he looked at the screen before him, scratching his head at the email he'd been given.

Displayed before him was a list of temperatures that were recently recorded by the lab on Route Six. He was already on his way there at the time and hadn't run across anything like that. He approached the lab and slipped inside, looking around as several of the scientists were busy. A few were drinking their early morning cup of coffee while others were frantically scanning various documents and looking through other files.

"So...I take it you got the email?" One of the scientists inquired as Cheren glanced down at his XTransceiver's inbox.

"Yeah...I got it. I still don't understand it. Up until yesterday the weather was perfectly fine...how on earth could it be that cold in those regions? It makes no sense...negative fifty-eight degrees? Are you sure these readings are correct?" Cheren inquired.

"Yes...that's exactly what we're picking up. And they're all in these areas..." The scientist explained as she gestured to the screen before him. It showed several different parts of Unova, the blue areas representing the places where it dropped significantly in temperature.

"Lacunosa Town...Castelia...and Driftveil? Katsu and the others are on their way out of Driftveil right now...they should be fine..."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, friends of mine. I believe it was them that came here previously...you had mentioned something to me about a boy with a shiny Rufflet right?"

"Ah! Yes, yes I did. One of our researchers lectured them on Deerling. He mentioned someone like that."

"Well, they got done with the World Tournament last night. Katsu ended up winning the whole thing. He's gotten so much stronger since we first met. And it wasn't too long ago either...what's it been...a month or two?" Cheren frowned, wondering if he'd gotten enough sleep.

"I watched that broadcast actually. Surprisingly I was able to take time off from my schedule to see what was going on. I believe I recognize Katsu now that I think of it. He was in that new Riolu Boy movie right? And I believe the girl from the first round is Alice Eleanor, also a rather famous actress herself..."

"Yep...those are the two. Thankfully I didn't have to face either of them again. They got a badge out of me, that was enough. Although...Jay was incredibly skilled. I got destroyed in that fight...heh...if I had my old team during that matchup it might have ended differently. But alas, I can't relive those days...though it feels like I am already though..." Cheren sighed.

"Cheren...you're 20 years old and you're talking like you're an old man. Your journey ended two years ago at the Unova League before you took the job in Asperita as a Gym Leader. You're young!" The older scientist scolded.

"Yeah...I'm not old like you..." Cheren grinned.

"I'm only 26!" She protested.

"I know, your birthday was last week...I was just joking with you sheesh."

"You're treading on thin ice mister..." The scientist grimaced.

"Hang on a sec...I'm getting a call," Cheren stated as he looked down at his XTransceiver.

 **X-X-X**

"Well...here we are again guys..." Alice said sleepily.

The gang had gotten up rather early that morning and were back on Route Six. Jay was walking beside Katsu as usual and also as usual, Rufflet rode the right shoulder, Riolu the left and Marill took the top perch on Katsu's head. What was he now? A nesting tree for Pokemon? Katsu sighed softly and rolled his eyes as he focused his attention forward.

"Yeah, and ahead of us is our next destination. First it's off to Chargestone Cave...then Mistralton City," Hugh pointed out as he looked at the map on his Pokedex.

"That place is a rather peaceful one...I've been there quite a few times myself..." Jay smiled softly, knowing she had a few memories of that place. She would keep them to herself however.

"It's also where we'll be getting our next badge...I heard the leader there uses flying types. This should be rather interesting..." Katsu said as he glanced over at the others.

"Yeah, and she's exceptionally good with them too. It's not going to be an easy fight, that's for certain..." Alice informed.

"I'm not sure how I'll face her...I've got only one flying type...it's going to be tricky..." Katsu sighed.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to work around that. You most certainly didn't let Steel-types get to you when your team had no advantage over them in the World Tournament. You already have two advantages over her flying types since Marill can bounce to dizzying heights and use Ice Punch...and let's not forget about the Tailwind and Steel Wing combination of Rufflet. You just need to figure out how to deal with the others and you'll be fine..." Maikeru pointed out.

"I suppose you're right. A lot of my battles have been rather unorthodox. And this one will be no different..." Katsu smirked.

"Hey Katsu, since we're here...mind if we do some training? I-I kinda want to get a head start..." Jay said softly.

"Huh? Oh! Sure...one sec, Goken?"

"Yeah?"

"Mind if I borrow your Gallade for a bit? This is something for Jay, she wants to develop her Psychic powers a bit more so I figured having an _actual_ Psychic type would help."

"I don't mind at all as long as I am able to spar with you later. I want to learn as much about aura as possible. I know the basics...but that's about it. My Riolu hasn't been able to teach me much and yours seems to know quite a bit," Goken stated, handing Katsu Gallades ball.

"Thanks Goken, alright...shall we get started, Jay?"

"Y-yeah...let's do it," Jay said with a bit of confidence.

As they walked off towards the river, the others watched them intently.

"So...are they...you know?"

"No Goken...Hugh and I have been trying to figure that out for a while. They're around each other a lot...and I've noticed her catching Katsu's attention rather easily, even though she's shy. The two are so cute together it's painful to watch sometimes. They _really_ need to ask one another out already..." Alice grumbled.

"Yeah...it's so obvious that they like each other it's annoying."

"Agreed, Hugh...I mean, did you catch the way Jay acted during the tournament? One does not simply utilize such flirting techniques if one does not wish for the other to reciprocate. And Katsu's blushing and thrown off strategies was most _definitely_ a form of that. I must admit...she successfully did what most he's battled against could not, and that's throw him off his game. If he didn't have Marill...as much as the little runt annoys me...he would have lost," Alice speculated.

"Yep, she definitely has the hots for Katsu...that much is blatantly obvious..." Maikeru chuckled.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu sat down on the ground across from Jay, cross-legged and upright. Gallade was also on the ground sitting adjacent from Katsu and Riolu was across from him. He breathed in deeply and then looked over at Jay.

"So...the first thing we need to do is figure out where to start. You said you have difficulty with control right?" Katsu inquired.

"Yes...I can never seem to execute a proper Psychic. I was only able to do it in that one instant because I knew she was trying to attack you...but it wasn't as strong as it could have been. It's sad...I've been working on it for as long as I can remember and I still can't get it right..."

"That's fine...don't beat yourself up over it. That's why I've borrowed Gallade. If anything, he'd be able to help you out. I may not be a Psychic...but from what I understand from Aura...it's not simply limited to one particular set of moves...fighting just fits me...but with a little effort others can be managed. Right now? I'm not nearly at that level yet," Katsu chuckled.

"I see...so you're still in the beginning stages. Which explains why you haven't used any of the more difficult techniques..." Jay commented.

"Right...I'm still working on other techniques. Now...let's get to the bottom of your Psychic powers. Try to hit me with Psychic..."

"I'm sorry, what now?"

"You heard me...give me your best shot..."

"But Katsu I-"

"Don't worry about hurting me...there's a reason I brought Gallade here, and Riolu is there if things get hairy. Now focus..."

"O-okay..." Jay stuttered, closing her eyes for a moment to take a breath.

She opened them and concentrated on Katsu's body. Most Psychic attacks are focused around the powers of the mind. Something that Jay struggled with, a lot. She had her headphones in at this point which Katsu noticed a lot. Her eyes began to glow a faint pink and he could feel a slight pressure around his frame. His body tingled a bit and he could feel himself slowly starting to rise. It was a bit shaky but he could feel it. Jay concentrated as hard as she could, a trickle of sweat dripping down the side of her visage as she did so. She was straining quite a bit in doing this. At some point, she lost her concentration and Katsu plopped back onto the floor. He didn't get but an inch off the ground.

Jay grumbled to herself as she saw that Katsu was sitting back down instead of in the air like she hoped he'd be. She fidgeted with her hands nervously as she looked away, rather embarrassed at this point.

"Hey...that was a good start. I can see that you know what to do...but I think I've got it figured out. Though I can't say for sure. Mind if I see your headphones?"

Jay hesitated. Those headphones were basically her barrier. They defended her ears and mind from the hurtful thoughts of others and made it so that she could walk around with peace. Occassionally she took them off if it was quiet enough. But when there were multiple people around...all their thoughts came flooding in at once and her ears just couldn't handle it. To hand them over would be the equivalent of a knight handing over their shield. But she trusted Katsu. He had helped her out so many times, and he was helping her again. She could hand them over for a little while...right? Jay's hand trembled as she reached for them and slowly removed them. She held them out to Katsu with a bowed head and he took them.

They were definitely unique headphones. They were wireless, for one. Also, they seemed to be able to block out quite a bit of sound while trapping the music inside so that the users ears were spoiled by how magnificent the music sounded. Thoughts were kept out, and music was shut in. However, this in mind, it would be harder for her to even concentrate on her powers. He set the headphones at his side and then looked over at Gallade.

 _'So...I don't think I've explained why I borrowed you so I will do that now. Jay here is a Psychic. However, she has trouble using her abilities and needs help from those who can. I know you are a Fighting-type but you are also Psychic-type, meaning you can give her a bit of an understanding of what she is to do.'_

 _'I see...so in other words...you want me to help her figure out a way to utilize her potential to strengthen her abilities? I think I can manage that...'_

 _'Good...because she has a few self confidence issues to work out...'_

 _'She didn't seem to have any when she battled you...'_

 _'How did you-'_

 _'I'm Psychic...remember?'_

 _'Right...I knew that.'_

Gallade nodded and then looked over at Jay, establishing a mental connection in the process.

 _'Jay?'_

 _'Err...h-hi...Gallade?'_

 _'Yes...how are you?'_

 _'Fine...I think. I'm trying so hard to get this right but, I don't know if I'll be able to do it...'_

 _'If you go into it with that type of attititude then you may as well give up...'_

 _'I...I guess you're right...but I've always had a problem with my powers. I'm not very good at controlling them. I figured that if I could block the world out I would be able to focus better. No other sounds...just music.'_

 _'That's the problem Jay...'_

 _'Huh?'_

 _'You see...Psychic abilities are rooted in the thought process and the powers of the mind. If your mind is even the least bit distracted by anything...it throws the entire process off...'_

 _'But...that's my problem. My mind is always bombarded with thoughts of others. Some of them are hurtful...and I-I just can't handle it all...it's painful...'_

 _'I see...let me have a look and perhaps I can figure out exactly what I can do for you...'_

 _'Ah...I feel that you've had quite a few struggles in your lifetime. You've struggled to gain acceptance and on top of that...you have been ridiculed, am I getting this right?'_

 _'Perfectly...'_

 _'I had a feeling. I could tell just by looking at you that your confidence was lacking. Also...Katsu told me about it. And I think I see why he had you hand over the headphones...'_

 _'It's because I use them as a crutch...isn't it?'_

 _'Yes...try focusing without them...you'll do much better I assure you..'_

 **X-X-X**

Just at the edge of Route Six, hiding near the group of friends were three Pokemon who had stumbled upon the group as they were walking along. One of them was like a cross between a stag and a goat with blue fur and jagged yellow horns. The other was a bit thicker and was was in the form of a bovine with two massive horns. The other was in the form of a green antelope and seemed the more graceful of the three. A powerful aura emanated from each of them which didn't go unnoticed by Katsu.

 _'Do you think they notice us?'_

 _'I am sure at least one of them might...though it's hard to say...Virizion._

 _'I see...so we're well hidden for the time being, the only question that remains is...why are we here?'_

 _'Oh come now Virizion, I'm sure you've sensed it too!'_

 _'Indeed Terrakion...these trainers are quite strong...and I do believe they may be able to aid us...'_

 _'Right you are Cobalion!'_

 _'So...with whom shall we speak? There are six of them...should we reveal ourselves to all of them? Or just one in particular? That doesn't seem very realistic considering they all seem to stick together...'_

 _'Hmm...they should be fine if they see us...'_

 _'As long as you're sure, you are the leader after all...'_

 **X-X-X**

"So...did anything Gallade said help you?"

"Y-yeah...I think I understand...though this is going to be hard to get used to. But...I'm going to give it a try...can we try that again, Katsu?"

"Sure...whenever you're ready...'

 _'Think it'll work?'_

 _'I know it will Riolu...are you ready?'_

 _'Yep...all I've gotta do is make sure you don't get hurt. I can manage that...'_

 _'Thanks partner...'_

 _'Not a problem.'_

Jay heaved a sigh as she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as she concentrated on her Psychic energies. She wanted to get better at this. All her life she had done nothing but flop every single test she'd ever taken when it came to this. There were times when her powers acted up and she'd embarrass herself by either destroying something unintentionally or sending someone into a wall. She never was able to do anything right as far as she was concerned. But sitting in front of her was someone who cared. Someone who _believed_ in her. Only her family, Gen, Dusk and Rif included, and hopefully Zor, believed in her. Katsu had steadily become her strength. Around him, she felt so alive, as if she could do almost anything. He made her heart _flutter._ Not simply with nervousness like almost everything did, but with excitement.

This reckless thrill-seeking wonderful human being before her had done so much for her. He got her the stamp collection she was looking for. He told her she was _beautiful._ He never once put her down. He jumped from two hundred feet in the air towards what could have been his death to save _her._ Because of her stupid mistake of not letting the kiss she wanted so badly to give him, happen, she almost killed him, and yet he rescued her. He chose to forgo his own life to save hers. Rif caught them both and she was able to live another day, with him. And then there was the night they did kiss. Albeit Gen was the stinker who started the whole thing, she finished it. She threw away caution for just a moment and melted into a puddle of pure happiness. Hey. She'd been through a lot in her life, she _deserved_ that kiss and by Arceus she got it.

And then there was the most recent event. He saved her, AGAIN, putting himself at risk. As if he hadn't done enough to make her fall in love with him, this practically raised the bar more. She had tried to protect him, and he ended up protecting her. Her heart throbbed as she thought of this. All of these thoughts raced through her mind. He'd been so patient with her, so kind. So gentle. What did she have to show for it? And now he was helping her with her powers. All of these lovely and scary thoughts flooded into her and it made her realize something. It was something she already knew deep down and admitted to herself. She loved him. She wanted to express it so badly but the courage just wasn't there. She wanted to protect him as he had protected her. She, like Hugh said, _had_ to get stronger.

This wave of clarity swept over her as she reached deep within her being. Her eyes flashed open and an even brighter pink aura lit up her eyes as she focused on Katsu. He began to feel the same as before only this time...it was significantly different. He felt himself rising off the ground a little higher this time. Jay's concentration was most certainly better and he could tell that taking away the headphones helped her greatly. The tingling feeling progressed and soon he felt himself being lifted a bit more off the ground.

 _'Come on Jay, you can do this!'_ She told herself, reaching in deeper until suddenly...

FWOOSH!

Katsu was flung back unexpectedly towards a boulder on the other side of the river. Jay gasped at what was happening and tried to stop it but due to her panic she wasn't able to get a handle on it. Riolu was just reacting when a blur shot out of the bushes and snatched Katsu up. Alice and the others ran over to see what happened. The boulder remained untouched and Katsu was perfectly fine and he was seated atop something that made Alice gape like a Magikarp. Her finger pointed towards Cobalion and one hand covered her mouth.

"Th-th-that's...that's...Cobalion!" She stammered.

Goken's head snapped in the direction of said Pokemon. He, being a Fighting-type specialist had heard of the Swords of Justice, but never in his life did he ever imagine he would meet them. Katsu blinked in surprise as he looked down at the stag/goat combo he was seated upon. Next to him came two others which looked up at him curiously.

Jay looked on with widened eyes as well. She had just thrown Katsu nearly a hundred or so feet and out of nowhere comes a Legendary... _three_ Legendaries. The group was dumbstruck.

"Katsu...I reiterate my point about you being unrealistically lucky..." Hugh said as he stared at the three Legendaries before him.

The others nodded in agreement as they watched Cobalion look back at them and then at Katsu.

 _'Who are you?'_ Cobalion inquired.

 _'I'm...Katsu Aiko...wow...this is trippy...I'm talking to a Legendary...'_

 _'So you are able to communicate via telepathy as we are...huh. Let me guess...Aura Adept?'_

 _'Uh...y-yeah...something like that...'_

 _'Curious...it would appear that it was well worth following you six after all. And your friend...Psychic?'_

 _'Yep...she is.'_

 _'Fascinating...'_

Katsu got down from Cobalion's back and backed up towards his friends to look at the three Legendaries standing before him. Maybe Hugh was right. Maybe he did have unusual luck. Jay, remembering what she'd done, darted over to Katsu and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry!" She said repeatedly, bowing her head in her usual way.

"Hey...quit worrying about it. I'm not hurt am I? And besides...I'm proud of you..." He smiled.

"Re-really?" Jay stammered.

"Yes...I am. You did it Jay. For a moment, you had control and were able to produce a much stronger Psychic. And well, because of that...of you, look who's here," Katsu chuckled.

Did Jay just help him get lucky? This was a new development. Normally her powers caused people great misfortune but this time...she caused Legendaries to show up. If anything else, besides Katsu's forgiving her every time she messed up, would boost her confidence, it was this. Because of the one time she actually took control, something _good_ happened. A smile crossed Jay's features as she came to this realization. Gen and Dusk couldn't help but smile as well. And Rif...if he had a proper mouth, would do so as well so he smiled inwardly.

 _'Can everyone hear me?'_ Cobalion inquired.

"Yeah, we can," Katsu chuckled. Everyone else seemed taken aback. Katsu was still having a hard time processing what he'd seen.

 _'Perfect...I was hoping you'd be able to. As you, young lady, have already addressed, I am Cobalion, and these with me are Virizion and Terrakion,'_ Cobalion stated, addressing Alice in his comment.

"H-h-hi..." Alice stuttered, causing Hugh to raise a brow. This was new.

 _'We've been watching you all for a while and how you interact with your Pokemon. It's something that's rarely seen these days...'_

 _'Indeed, as my sister Virizion puts it, you are all very interesting. Perhaps you all can be of some assistance to us in the near future...'_

"Why? I mean...what's up?" Hugh inquired.

 _'There has been a bit of a disturbance in the weather patterns in different parts of our home here in Unova...we have our suspicions as to the cause but we are not entirely sure. We know humans study these types of things...so we were hoping you all might be able to provide answers...'_

"I couldn't tell you readily Cobalion...however, if you are asking for our help in figuring it out...you've got it," Katsu replied.

 _'Thank you...now, if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way. There are other places that we are needed. We will meet again...'_ Cobalion stated.

And with that, the three of them were off in a flash. Katsu scratched the back of his head lightly as he turned to the group.

"So...uh, shall we keep going? Chargestone Cave isn't too far..." Katsu laughed nervously.

"Katsu. We just saw the three Swords of Justice minus a Keldeo, who I won't be surprised if he pops up any time soon...and all you can say is 'shall we keep going?'" Alice grumbled.

As if to prove her point, the sound of fast moving hooves and a shout of "wait for me!" was heard as the little Sword of Justice in training bolted by.

Katsu blinked as Keldeo raced to keep up with his teachers.

"I WAS KIDDING!" Alice exclaimed.

"My eyes must have deceived me," a familiar voice called out,causing Katsu, Hugh and Jay to turn around.

"Ah...Rood, been a while, how are you?"

"I am well, Katsu...an-I see you've already met up with Maikeru. Excellent, I'd hoped the two of you would meet."

"Yeah...I ran into him in Nimbasa City. He's a good battler. He got pretty far in the World Tournament..." Katsu said with a chuckle.

"So I heard...in any case, were those...were those-"

"The Swords of Justice? Yes...all four of them present and accounted for. I know, I was shocked too," Katsu laughed.

"Well...it seems as though they decided to appear before the six of you. For what purpose I know not...but maybe they will be of some aid to you in your fight against Team Plasma. I know not what Ghetsis is planning...but I have several informants working on figuring that out...I can only hope that Ghetsis will cease his foolishness...but alas, that is but a dream..." Rood sighed.

"Just out of curiosity...why are you out here?" Hugh spoke up.

"I was on my way here to take a look at the research lab. I'd heard of strange weather patterns developing...or at least temperatures dropping to unusual lows. I knew this would be the best place to have a look...and then I saw what happened here and as you may have guessed, I got sidetracked..." Rood chuckled.

"So I see...I'm still watching you...I know you've turned over a new leaf and all...but still...well, you know..." Hugh stated as he looked away.

"Indeed I do Hugh...in any case, I must be off. I must investigate this issue. A lot of Pokemon are being forced to relocate due to whatever is causing this," Rood sighed as he marched ahead.

 **X-X-X**

The group finally made it to Chargestone Cave. On the other side was Mistralton City which was where the next badge was to be obtained. It wasn't going to be an easy one, but Katsu, Alice and Hugh knew that already.

"Well guys...this is it, shall we?" Katsu inquired.

The group nodded and took deep breaths before entering the cave...

 **And that's a wrap! Like I said, a little deviation from the original game sequence with some filler added in. The part with the Deerling and Cheren explaining the weather wasn't necessary due to it being stated several times already so I skipped that. Now it's on to Mistralton City! I hope this chapter was enjoyable. Jay finally has a little bit better of a handle on her powers, thanks to Katsu helping out. Gallade gave her some understanding and well...you saw the result. Keldeo running by was for humorous purposes. Anyway, the next chapter is something I have VERY much been looking forward too. PG-13 and I have collaborated on this particular chapter as well and credit goes to him completely for the idea. I hope you enjoyed the chapters he helped me with as there are quite a few littered into this fanfic. I hope you all take the time to check out his fanfic called Anto's Bizzare Adventure! It's AWESOME! Read and review, he deserves it with how good the story is. Anyway, get ready for the next chapter of Icy Wrath!**


	28. Chapter 28

**And welcome to another exciting installment of Icy Wrath! So, how did everyone like the previous chapter? I know, it was filler-ish. But I had to add in a bit more before this chapter. I have been looking forward to writing this one for a long time now. Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, PG-13 gave me a brilliant idea. We worked it all out and now I am proud to present to you what I truly consider something that was worth waiting to write. I do hope you enjoy this chapter as it will be a bit emotional in some points. That being said, get ready peeps! This is going to be quite a ride!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 28: May I Have This Dance?**

The group had _finally_ gotten out of the Chargestone Cave. The events that preceded their arrival to Mistralton City were more than exciting enough without Gen doing his usual antics. A sigh of relief escaped Katsu's lips as he looked up at the city. They made it. Turning to the others, he could see they were a bit tired from the journey. Goken seemed to be doing alright, as was Maikeru, but Hugh and Alice looked a bit worn out. Surprisingly, Jay seemed fine as well. Then again...this entire time she didn't show any signs of fatigue and kept up with him fairly easily. It must have been due to that well conditioned body of hers. Shaking a thought from his mind he glanced over at what appeared to be an...airport?

"Well...I wasn't expecting this...strange. Then again, now that I think of it, the map did mention something about it," Katsu chuckled.

"I think I can explain that. The Gym Leader, Skyla...according to this, is a pilot. And a very good one at that. Hence the plane over there..." Alice pointed out, jerking her thumb in the direction of said plane.

"Sweet. Well, we should probably check in to the Pokemon Center. I have a feeling we will be here for the remainder of the evening. The sun is starting to set. I'd like to be able to get a gym battle in before long..." Katsu commented.

"I suppose I'll be checking that out as well. However...it looks like the town is getting ready for something. Take a look over there," Alice pointed out.

Indeed, there were people in the city setting up for what looked to be an event of some sort. But what was it?

"Should we go check it out?"

"You guys can go on ahead Alice, Katsu and I will head to the gym to see if Skyla is there..." Hugh replied to Alice.

"Okay, let us know what you find out then, and we'll give you a heads up about what's going on over here," Alice responded.

Katsu and Hugh nodded and meandered off towards the gym. Jay however, knowing this place, decided to walk towards a very well known structure called Celestial Tower.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu and Hugh blinked as they looked at the sign that was attached to the gym door.

 _Due to today being a holiday, the gym will be closed for the festivities. I apologize for the inconvenience. Any trainers who wish to obtain their sixth badge will have to wait until tomorrow morning._

 _-Skyla_

"Well...I suppose we don't have much of a choice then. Now what?"

"We should probably train...you and I have flying types that will obviously going toe to toe with Skyla so we need to make sure that they are in top condition...we'll need to work on the rest of our team as well. I don't know exactly what we're going to be up against but I can tell you this is going to be one difficult fight."

"You're right Katsu...well, shall we get to it then? The more we train together, the stronger we will be...then Team Plasma won't stand a chance against us..." Hugh smirked.

 **X-X-X**

Jay had wandered off towards the tower on her own. Alice, Goken and Maikeru were checking out the city and checking into the Pokemon Center. This was a place that Jay simply _loved._ She could communicate with the spirits of Pokemon and humans alike and it made her feel happy. As she quickly gathered, today must have been a day of remembrance. It was a special day that was set aside to remember and honor those who died. As she walked through the tower, she could see several families gathering around gravestones, placing flowers and holding one another for comfort.

Jay's heart went out to each of them. She knew what it was like to lose someone she felt close to. The memory of her grandfather was embedded deep into her mind and heart. He was such a kind old man who taught her so much. Memories of him came flooding into her mind, filling her with joy intermingled with sadness as she remembered the times she danced with her grandfather.

 _Years ago..._

"There you go Jay! One two three, one two three, step two three, pivot two three, good!" Jay's grandfather called out as he observed Jay's movements.

Jay was around ten at the time and was just picking up dancing. Rif was just a Drifloon back then and was watching her intently along with Gen and Dusk. Jay executed each move almost perfectly. She was still a rather awkward little girl but when she was doing this, she felt less clumsy. Jay kept moving in sync to the beat of the music as it got faster. Every movement was sharp and precise. So far she'd been able to handle the quickness of the Latin dances she was learning. The slower paced dances of the other styles she was taught were easy, but this was far more challenging. This was also her form of a work out.

As years progressed, she got stronger and more flexible with every lesson. By the age of thirteen she had already gotten the hang of and nearly mastered several ballroom style dances, quite a few Latin dances among other things as well. She still had to work on a lot of it, but she loved every minute of that precious time she spent with her grandfather before he passed away.

 _End Flashback..._

Never had an event torn her apart like the passing of her grandfather. She grieved over the loss but something happened that lessened the pain. It was something he'd told her that comforted her. She glanced around at the mourning families and noticed one in particular that had just arrived. It looked to be a young couple, probably barely 28 years of age respectively. They were now standing in front of a gravestone that had a young boy's name engraved into it:

 _Daniel Andrew Jordan_

 _Here lies 7 year old Daniel Jordan. May Arceus rest his soul in the great celestial planes above. He was a blessing to many, even in illness. He will surely be missed._

The mother knelt down and began to cry. Just over a year ago the couple had lost their son. The pain still grieved them and it showed. The mother's hands covered her eyes as she knelt before the grave, tears flowing like a river as she reached out to touch the stone. The father knelt down beside her and placed his arm around her, comforting his wife. The mother sobbed uncontrollably and it seemed as though nothing would be able to erase the pain that she felt.

"He's gone Thomas...he's gone...our little boy...he didn't deserve this!" The woman bawled.

"I know Felicity...I know...he was our pride and joy. So full of life...so energetic...and then...he just..." Now Thomas was in tears.

Jay's eyes widened as she saw this. Her eyes darted to the tombstone and read the inscription again. The boy had died so young it was almost unfair. She didn't know what to say to a couple that had lost their son so early in life. At that point, unbeknownst to the mourning couple, a faint blue glow appeared beside the stone. The form of a young boy materialized. He looked over at Jay, rather startled by the fact that she could see him. He then looked over at the couple...his parents. His eyes then shifted back over to Jay, a pleading look in his eyes.

In that moment, Jay understood what she had to do. She had to suck it up and push all thoughts of what they might say to her out of her mind. She had to be brave. Katsu had given her more confidence and she was going to use it and approach someone _without_ him being there. She stepped forward slowly and cleared her throat. Thomas glanced in her direction, tear stains on his face as he did so. The mother wasn't willing to look over at her just yet.

"I-I couldn't help but watch you two. I...I know you've probably heard a lot of people say this and it might not help, but...I-I know what it's like to be separated from someone you love so soon..." Jay began.

"Y-you do? But you're so young...something like that shouldn't happen so early..." The mother said through quivering lips as she turned her head.

"Nor should it happen to you...you see, I lost my grandpa when I was younger...about three years or so ago. I loved my grandpa. He and I were like best friends and I considered him that. He taught me so many wonderful things. Yes, I was devastated that he died...but, when he-before he died, his spirit-I mean his last words t me were, 'don't be sad that I left, be happy that I was there. And if you love me...then do your best to show that same love to others.' I know I can't bring your son back but..."

Jay's eyes shifted towards the spirit of their son who they were still unable to see. A smile was on the young boy's face as he nodded for the girl to go on and finish what she was going to say.

"But I can say for sure that your son loves you, and would want you to move on. Be happy that he was there with you, even if it was only for a little while. I'm sure his soul is at peace and he would want you to have that same peace too..."

Daniel's parents didn't know what to say. Thomas didn't speak for a while, however, the mother did the only thing that made sense. She walked up to Jay and threw her arms around her, crying into her shoulder. Jay felt _really_ awkward.

"Thank you...thank you so much for saying that. All we've ever gotten from people was the same old 'it was his time' or 'maybe it was for the best.' I know they mean well but that's not what we wanted to hear...but you...you told us something meaningful...I don't know who you are, maybe Arceus sent you...or maybe you are here of your own accord...but young lady...you are indeed an angel if there ever were any..." Felicity said through choked sobs.

She was starting to calm down and then pulled away from Jay. Thomas simply smiled as his wife went back into his arms. He held her close to him and looked back at Jay.

"I think there are a lot of people here who could use your words young lady...what's your name?" Thomas asked.

"I-it's Jaycelyn, but please call me Jay. I prefer it that way..." Jay smiled.

"Jay...would you like to come with us and see to our neighbors? They have also lost loved ones recently and I do believe your words of encouragement will be able to ease their pain. I do hope this isn't asking too much of you..." Felicity asked.

"Not at all...I-I'd be glad to..." Jay said with a broad smile.

"Thank you Jay..." Felicity smiled back.

 **X-X-X**

Hugh had gone off to do some training with Katsu and so far things were looking pretty good.

"Alright...so with Dewott...what combos can I use with him? I want to be able to do what you and Marill do at some point. But I don't think that Dewott can learn Bounce..." Hugh muttered.

"I'm not sure if it can...why not teach it Ice Beam? It will give it an advantage against Skyla, this way you won't be at the mercy of her Flying-types."

"I think I bought that TM a while ago. I just never really thought about using it until I knew for sure it was a good idea. But after seeing what you and Marill do...I definitely want to do _that_."

"Well, teach Dewott the move and then we'll get to that maneuver. It's tricky because the water has to be cooled quickly in order for it to work. We'll give it a test run as soon as you're ready..." Katsu stated.

"Gotcha, let's see...where did I put that?" Hugh wondered as he rummaged through his pack.

"Here it is!" Hugh exclaimed as he found the TM.

 **X-X-X**

"So...you really think she would like me to move on?" A middle-aged man inquired of Jay.

The man went by the name of Jason Godfrey and he'd recently lost his wife Isabella. She'd died due to heart failure and the grief he felt was more than he could take. Little did he know that Jay could see his wife's spirit standing right beside him, longing to be able to hold him as she always had.

"Yes...I believe she would want that. The two of you shared...what was it? Twenty five years together? That's a lot of time with one person for so many years. The memories you have should be cherished. I'm sure if she saw you sulking around like this and losing your passion for your work...she'd probably scold you and then give you a good slap over the head..." Jay stated, watching the woman's spirit make a motion as if to smack her silly husband over the head.

"That...that does sound like something she would do. She'd always tell me, 'get it together Jason.' And then she actually did smack me over the head...a few times...but it always worked. And she was usually right. I had been feeling down about myself so much that I never was able to fully concentrate on my passions. I don't know what to say Jay. Someone must be watching over me this evening because you are definitely who I needed to talk to..." Jason smiled.

"It's not a problem...like I said, I know what it's like to suffer loss. I've been through it before...it's not fun. But what good does it do us to sit around wallowing in despair? If we did that everyday we'd end up doing more harm to ourselves than good..." Jay finished.

"I believe you're right...it's about time I stopped feeling so sorry for myself and moved on. I know she would have wanted me to. My daughter has been trying to tell me to just let it go. I found myself struggling for far too long. You remind me of my dauhghter...I think if the two of you ever met you'd get along quite well...thank you so much Jay..." Jason chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes.

 **X-X-X**

"So...Alice. How did you end up traveling with Katsu? From what I know of you, your father is an assistant to the director in Pokestar Studios. How on earth did you find the time to go on a journey when you have such a swamped schedule?"

"Well Maikeru, my papa loves to spoil me. He makes sure that I am well taken care of and that I have my wants and needs met. I had already resolved that I wanted to go on a journey and for a while he was hesitant. But then he thought that it would do me some good and it would get my name out there more than it already was. That, and I was somewhat bored of _just_ being in the studio all the time. I wanted to be known as a serious trainer and so...here I am..." Alice giggled.

"I see, and where did you meet up with Katsu and Hugh?" Goken parroted Maikeru.

"Well...err..." Alice blushed, remembering that thoroughly embarrassing moment.

"You see...I was on my way to Asperita City to challenge the gym. I figured I would be able to handle whatever it was that the leader could throw at me. My Servine, a Snivy at the time and my Flaffy, formerly a Mareep, were fully prepared for the battle. As I went through the route, a Purrloin snatched my necklace, yes...this one...and took off with it. So I began to chase it and what do you think happened next?"

"You ran into Katsu?"

"Exactly Maikeru...and where should the Purrloin happen to be but on his shoulders?"

"Didn't he have a Purrloin? I mean he's got a Liepard..."

"That's correct Goken. However, at that time he didn't...that Purrloin wasn't even his. The mischievous little thief made it look as though she belonged to Katsu and therefore I mistook Katsu for a crook."

"But...Katsu would never do anything like that...otherwise he wouldn't have a Riolu..."

"Right you are Goken, but at that time he didn't have him either. All he _really_ had was his shiny Rufflet...which I am still envious of. Anyway, my stupidity got the better of me. I should have checked my Pokedex to see if it was still wild or not but no...I had to go and make a fool of myself."

"What did you do?"

"Well Maikeru, I flattened Katsu in a battle and then had him tied up by Snivy while I checked his Pokedex for any incriminating evidence. And as you can imagine...I found out that there was _no_ Purrloin entry and that the only entries he had were his Rufflet and an Oshawott and most likely my Snivy and Mareep. You can probably tell what happened after that...I released him and well, to repay him, I traveled with him and so...here I am...heh..."

"Wow, I was not expecting that."

"Me either Goken."

"So yeah...after that, Katsu and I met up with Hugh and that pretty much covers how we ended up as a group."

"Okay, now we want to ask something else...how did Jay come into the picture?"

"Oh...Goken, Maikeru...you two are in for a treat..." Alice sniggered.

 **X-X-X**

Dewott closed his eyes and began to channel the power of his element through his frame. The aquatic energies cloaked his form and he soon rocketed forwards with great speed.

"Dewott, Ice Beam and spin!"

Dewott obeyed and began to rotate as he shot off an icy blast that began to envelope the watery cloak around his body. Since Dewott was a bit bigger than Marill, his Aqua Jet had more water to freeze whereas Marill's didn't have nearly as much. The water eventually froze over. Marill was heading in the same direction as Dewott and the two met in a head-on collision, ice shards flying everywhere as the two connected their attacks. Marills got the better of Dewotts as he was sent farther than Marill.

Marill bounced back onto his tail and onto his feet. Dewott bounced a few times before skidding to a stop, slowly getting back up.

"No matter how many times we end up doing that, your Marill overpowers Dewott. That Huge Power ability is broken..." Hugh grunted.

"At least your Dewott's got it down now..." Katsu laughed.

"Yeah, only after like...the tenth try. Arceus that took a while..." Hugh muttered.

 **X-X-X**

"I know it's difficult to understand but...I really think that he would want you to pursue your dreams. You shouldn't stop just because you think you can't go on without him. I know he was precious to you...I know how it feels. Losing someone you were just about to wed is a terrible thing to go through. But I feel...I know he would want you to finish what you started. I think he knows you can do it, and even though he can't be here right now..."

Jay paused as she looked at the former bride to be, and then to her deceased fiance who was holding his arms to his chest in the sign language symbol for 'love.'

"He loves you very much, and just wants you to be happy..."

"But...how can I do that without him? We were to be married a month from now...I just...I just don't know how much more my heart can take..."

"I can't pretend to know what it's like to lose your first love. But..." She paused, Katsu's face flashing before her eyes, causing her face to tint pink.

"If I ever did...I would be crushed...sure...and I'd probably blame myself as you do. But I would move on eventually...knowing that he'd want me to be happy in life even if it meant being without him..." Jay said nervously, shifting her head slightly to the side as she played with her hair.

"I see...so you really would be able to move on? I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to do that...but I can most certainly try...thank you Jay..."

"You're welcome..." Jay smiled.

This was a very soothing feeling for Jay. She wasn't used to going up to people on her own and was mostly too shy to do anything of the sort. But during her time with Katsu, she'd become much more bold. She felt like she could take on the world when she was with him. What? It was true. The feelings she had for him were undeniably strong. All this time she'd kept her feelings to herself until that one night when she was brave enough, if for but a moment or two, to shatter the wall between her and her feelings to give Katsu a small sample of her affection for him. To her, it was a _huge_ step.

Katsu had done so much for her and now she wanted to help others in return. Her confidence was growing by the day and it showed here. She wasn't going to let anything hinder her from doing what she knew she needed to do. She just needed to work up more courage just to say it. It was only three little words right? And yet...those three little words were the most difficult words to say. There was no more powerful a phrase that one could say than the one that expresses love. The very thought of saying it made her nervous.

She sighed softly as she continued to watch other people as they mourned their loss. She'd gotten around to helping at least a dozen or so people and unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by one of the coordinators of the event. She'd seen how caring Jay was and how everyone seemed to be cheering up. She was like a ray of sunshine, dispersing the clouds of darkness that hovered over the people on this day.

The coordinator saw peace on their faces and some of them even laughed. Just who was this girl? She knew she'd seen her walk in with a group of friends. Were they all like her? She was a _very_ special individual indeed. The coordinator smiled softly and made her way up to Jay and tapped her on the shoulder. Jay blinked and turned around after feeling a tap on her shoulder and was now staring into the eyes of a brown eyed blond haired woman.

"Hello there young lady," the woman said cheerfully.

"H-hi..." Jay said nervously, wondering what the woman wanted.

"I'm sorry, but...I was just so moved by what you were doing that...I had to come and talk to you...I have a favor to ask of you, if you'll hear me..."

"Sure...what is it?"

 **X-X-X**

Skyla was tending to her Pokemon, mostly making sure they were in tip top shape for any battles she might face. She smiled softly as her Swanna landed next to her, nuzzling her face as Skyla caressed her soft feathers.

"Looks like there's a good group of trainers here today. I saw them walking through the city. I wonder which of them is going to challenge me. I'd be happy with any of them though, as long as they make it interesting..." Skyla grinned.

At that point, the coordinator for the event being held that evening came up to Skyla after having finished her assignment.

"Miss Skyla? We've found someone to assist us. I know you weren't able to because of your duties, which is perfectly understandable."

"Not to worry Beverly, it's alright. I'm not worried. I know you by now, you always are able to pull something off in a pinch. I'm just happy to know they'll be able to continue without me this year," Skyla smiled.

"Indeed, the girl we found is a wonderful person. She's been helping many of the downcast and has given them all hope. I believe that this year will be one to remember..." Beverly smiled.

"I have a feeling you're right..." Skyla laughed.

 **X-X-X**

"So...Rufflet has Sheer Force huh? According to this, it can increase the damage on moves that have a secondary effect by thirty percent...Katsu...what the heck?" Hugh murmured.

"There are other Pokemon with that ability. I just happened to have a Rufflet with it," Katsu stated as he looked over at Tranquill who was recovering from being hit with a Sheer Force induced Steel Wing.

"I feel sorry for whoever has to face that thing when it evolves..." Hugh laughed.

"Yeah...I'm still waiting on that," Katsu chuckled.

"So, how's the egg? Any signs of hatching yet?"

"Not sure Hugh...it's getting warmer though which means it's nearly ready. It's strange...I had Rufflet's egg for a lot longer and it took longer to hatch. I've had this Dratini egg for less time and it's just about ready...odd..." Katsu sighed.

"I'm telling you man...good luck follows you around like an Absol sensing a disaster about to happen...seriously dude, what's up with that? Ever since we were five you've been able to find four leaf clovers, and get lucky dice rolls in Risk and even managed to win off a bluff in Poker..."

"Well, I don't exactly always get lucky...I did lose to Elesa that first time," Katsu pointed out.

"Right, and from what Jay told me, a Drilbur walked up and said hi, then evolved _during_ a battle that you were having with it and then you caught it. Even if you did lose the first match, you went back and whipped her with a freshly caught and practically self trained Excadrill. I've seen how tough that thing is..." Hugh muttered.

"Alright, I see your point...anyway, we should probably go find the others. I know they're probably wondering what we're doing right now."

"I think so too..." Hugh chuckled.

The two returned their Pokemon and then walked back towards the city only to see their friends walking up to them.

"Hey you two, did you have fun?" Alice inquired.

"Yep, we sure did. And we're ready for the gym tomorrow. So...what's going on here? Why are there so many people heading in one direction?" Hugh wondered.

"Ah, it's as we figured, there's an event going on to honor the dead that have passed on. There's going to be a special finale dance to end the night at the top of the Celestial Tower. We've been invited to come along by the coordinator of the event and Skyla."

"Thanks for the info Alice...uh...wait, where's Jay?" Katsu inquired.

"Err...we don't know. We saw her wander off on her own and she hasn't been seen in the past four hours. We assumed she'd found you two..." Goken added.

"I'm not sure where she could be either, Alice, Goken and I were just out here talking about your stories...and things like that..." Maikeru chuckled.

"So neither of you have seen Jay?" Katsu asked a little worriedly.

"I'm sure she's fine Katsu. She's got Gen, Dusk and Rif with her. I'm sure any threat that comes her way will be neutralized and promptly flattened. Don't worry..." Alice smiled.

Katsu smiled in return, though inwardly he was a bit nervous. What if she'd run off? She had been feeling down as of late, even though she did manage to strengthen her powers a bit more. Could she still be feeling bad about what happened in the World Tournament? He told her it was fine and that he wasn't angry with her. Did she not believe him? She usually didn't stay away from the group this long. Maybe he was overthinking things. Wait...why was he overthinking it? Why was he worrying so much? He knew she was protected.

Alice was right. Jay could handle herself. She was a very _very_ strong trainer and could easily take on any challenge. He had no reason to worry, right? Right. Resolving to himself that she was okay, he followed the group up to the very top of the Celestial tower. It was a rather large space at the top and there were tons of people gathered around. There were stands set up at the top with various items for sale. There were refreshments there as well.

Several lights were hooked up to battery powered generators and were all turned on, focusing on the center of what could be considered a stage. There was a large platform and the lights were now shining on Beverly and Skyla.

"Good evening everyone! I want to thank all of you for coming out here tonight. Today was a day to honor those who have passed on, so we prepared a dance to close out this wonderful night. We do hope you all will enjoy what you see and may it fill you with hope that your loved ones are not gone or forgotten as long as you remember them."

Skyla finished her speech and stepped off of the stage. Katsu and the others watched the stage intently, wondering what kind of dance they would put on. The lights had gone down. Several female dancers came out dressed in black frilly dresses, similar to that of what most Latin exotic dancers wear. Katsu was still trying to figure out where Jay was. He couldn't sense her among the crowd due to the overwhelming number of Ghost-type Pokemon and spirits and people. He about went looking for her again when the lights came on.

There, standing in the midst of the other dancers was Jay. She was in a white version of the dresses that the other girls were wearing. Her hair was curled, her tresses kissing her shoulders while the rest tumbled down her back. Her eyes were more pronounced due to the eyeliner that she had on. Her lips were ruby red, something he'd never seen before. She had on earrings as well. He didn't even know she wore them, she usually had the headphones on. That's when he got a better look at her and realized her ears weren't pierced, they were simply clip-ons. Katsu was taken aback by this, needless to say.

Jay looked out into the audience. Her shy nature was still apparent as her cheeks were flushed. She hadn't done this in a while and was slightly nervous. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep as the music started. Her gold and silver irises flashed open, a smile lighting up her features. The other dancers began their movements, Jay matching them step for step with the greatest of ease. Her hips moved in perfect sync, as did her other movements,with the other dancers. Every single movement she did was graceful, elegant...and when the music picked up in speed she didn't falter. Katsu couldn't take his eyes off of her now.

The crowd began to cheer as the dancers executed rather difficult looking motions. Jay made it all look so easy. Gen, Dusk and Zor managed to find Katsu, _finally._ They had to search through quite a few people, almost mistaking a few females for him because you know, long hair? If it weren't for the swords on his back they probably wouldn't have found him. Part of the reason they noticed him was because his mouth was partly gaping.

 _'Hey Katsu, close your mouth, you might catch a Bug-type in that...'_

 _'J-Jay...'_

 _'Ah, yes...she can dance. Did we forget to mention that? She's not a ballerina or one of those break dancers. But she learned from her grandfather who loved to dance. He taught her so much of what she knew and loved to dance with her while he was still around of course. So, what do you think?'_

Katsu's eyes locked onto Jay's movements as she continued to dance. His heart practically leapt from his chest as he watched her. Every roll of the hips, every sharp and perfectly executed movement was taken in. Her movements were as precise and accurate as a finely skilled swordsman's were. Every single step she took was followed by Katsu's ever focusing eyes.

"Wonderful...simply...wonderful..."

 _"Isn't it though? The other black dressed dancers symbolize the deceased but Jay represents how they are all at peace and that we should be-"_

 _'You do know he wasn't saying that about the dance right?'_ Gen snickered.

 _'That was my attempt at a joke...why must you ruin it Gen?'_

 _'Because he's not even paying attention?'_ Zor pointed out with a snigger.

 _'Why don't we just leave the jokes to Gen and Zor, OK Dusk? Right now...let's just enjoy the stupefied look on Katsu's face shall we?'_ Rif chuckled.

Katsu was completely oblivious to them at this point. His eyes were completely captivated by Jay as she danced along the stage, smiling like he'd never seen her before. She seemed so joyful, so vibrant...so...beautiful. He honestly didn't know what to say at this point. He couldn't figure out just what was getting into him at this moment. His heart raced continuously.

 _'So...how long do you think he'll continue to look like that?'_

 _'Probably until the dance is over Gen...'_

 _'You think so Dusk?'_

 _'Yep...I have a feeling that's going to be the case.'_

 _'By the way...Gen, Dusk...Phase Two is a go!'_

Gen and Dusk grinned deviously and Zor simply sniggered. He was in on the little scheme and was definitely looking forward to seeing how it would play out. The dance soon came to a close. Jay finished in a pose at the center of the stage while the dancers that were in black circled around her. The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause which could probably be heard for miles. Alice cheered loudly, Maikeru whistled and Goken did as well. Even Hugh clapped loudly for Jay and the other performers.

The other dancers departed and Skyla took to the stage and walked over to Jay.

"So you're the one they got to replace me? I really must thank you for that. You were amazing! The way you kept up with the constantly changing tempos was dizzying to watch yet it was so incredible at the same time," Skyla beamed.

"Th-thank you. It's nothing really...I just love dancing is all. I was happy to do it," Jay said with a faint blush.

"Well, you really made everyone happy. I want to thank you personally for all you've done today. You helped so many people feel at ease with the passing of their loved ones. You deserved to dance in the role that represented hope and peace. So, once again, thank you."

"You're welcome...I really enjoyed it," Jay smiled.

Skyla took the microphone from one of the stands and tapped it.

"Alright everyone, the floor is open to anyone else who would like to dance. I hope you all have a wonderful night!" Skyla shouted happily before putting the microphone away.

 _'Now?'_

 _'NOW!'_ Gen replied to Dusk.

As Katsu continued to observe Jay, he felt a powerful wave of energy push his body forward as the trio of Ghost-types combined their powers to push Katsu from the back of the crowd to the front and onto the floor in front of Jay who was standing in front of the bell. Katsu barely managed to stop himself before he went any farther. He turned around and shot a glare at the three ghosts who simply whistled as though nothing happened.

"D-did you see me perform?" Jay asked nervously, her face flushing slightly at this point.

Katsu blinked and turned around to look at Jay. She was even _more_ beautiful up close. That dress looked stunning on her.

"Yes...yes I did. I don't know how to describe it, except...it was beautiful, you were just...you ARE amazing Jay."

Jay was practically blushing red up to her ears at this point as he told her that. She couldn't believe her ears. He had watched her dance for the first time. And on top of that, he loved it! A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she looked back at him.

"Th-thank you...I was worried that I might mess up..."

"But you didn't...you were wonderful. Just like always..." Katsu smiled.

Jay couldn't help but smile in return. As she did this, her eyes shifted towards her four companions. Zor, Gen, Rif and Dusk were all urging her on. To her surprise, the spirits of the ones whose families she'd comforted showed up and were also cheering her on. Katsu wouldn't be able to see those as she could which was probably a good thing. Jay inhaled deeply before breathing outward, gaining confidence as she stared up at Katsu intently.

"Katsu? Will...will you...dance with me?" She uttered.

"I-I would love to...but...err..." Katsu broke off, speaking softer than usual so she wasn't able to hear him clearly.

"What?"

"I...I can't dance..." Katsu admitted.

Jay blinked several times at this. Katsu couldn't dance? Was she hearing him right? The boy who could fight with a Pokemon and keep up with it, and was Aura Adept and wielded a blade like a master...couldn't dance? She couldn't help it. She covered her mouth with one hand and laughed in an adorable manner.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Katsu demanded, his face turning slightly red with embarrassment.

"Even the great Katsu has a flaw, that's what's so funny!" Jay stated with a devious grin on her flushed face.

"What? I never said I was perfect and you know it!" Katsu grumbled, sounding even more adorable to Jay by the minute. Talk about a reversal huh?

"Don't worry about it, I'll teach you how to dance, come on, it'll be fun," Jay giggled, offering a hand to him.

Katsu stared at it for quite a few seconds. He wasn't sure what to do. He'd never danced before, or at least, in his mind he didn't.

"But...what if I mess up? What if I...what if I step on your-"

Katsu's eyes widened as he watched her place her finger over his lips to silence him. This was something he often did to her and now she was doing it to _him._ This silenced him quite easily, mainly out of surprise.

"Ah! You've been more than patient with me Katsu. You've put up with my awkwardness, and clumsy moments. So I can be patient with you, even if you are the worst dancer in the world," Jay smirked.

"Okay...that's it...I'm so going to make you eat those words by the end of the night..." Katsu stated as he took the offered hand.

 **X-X-X**

"Well...this is a rather unusual sight. Is Katsu _actually_ having a hard time with something?" Alice wondered as she watched Jay practically take the dominating role in the dance, helping Katsu who looked a bit flustered.

"It looks to be that way. Though...I don't think he'll be having difficulty for long...this is Katsu after all, or did you forget the fact that because he nearly crashed into a boulder, three Legendaries talked to us...four if you count the littler one that darted by us afterwards. With his luck...he'll pick up on it..." Hugh chuckled.

"This is true...his luck always seems to work in his favor..." Alice giggled.

"Though, it is nice to see Jay taking the lead here. She's really working that confidence. And it looks like she's got Katsu eating out of the palm of her hand," Alice grinned.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu, after several songs, had finally gotten the hang of it. He simply drew from what he knew of his combat prowess and used those principles to match her stride for stride. After all...what was a fight but a dance, right? A deadly one...but a dance nonetheless. The music picked up in tempo as he began to attempt to keep up with Jay. She could easily dance circles around him if she desired. Surprisingly, he was able to match her stamina, since he sort of had to have a lot to do what he did.

As the song came to its dramatic close, the rhythm picking up faster and faster as he spun her into him before spinning her back out, and pulling her in close one more time, their hands disconnecting as the music stopped. Once again, Katsu could feel her breath on his lips. The two were _very_ close to one another's face once again. It was quiet for a moment as the two looked at each other. Jay slowly closed her eyes, Katsu doing the same as they slowly closed the distance. Just as their lips were mere millimeters away...the crowd roared loudly and erupted into a thunderous applause for the two. Katsu and Jay simply smiled at one another and took a bow to the crowd.

"Can't dance huh?" Jay teased.

"I swear to you, that was probably luck..." Katsu laughed.

"Whatever you say twinkle-toes," Jay giggled.

Katsu was lighter on his feet than he gave himself credit for, and she could see that. He picked up on the movements faster than anyone she'd even met. He managed to keep up with her. One could venture to say that it was Jay's turn to be proud of Katsu.

"Wasn't that just lovely?" Skyla's voice came over the speakers as she walked into the middle of the crowd.

"The last part of this ceremony is going to be a special treat for all of you. Each of you have received one of these lanterns correct? You are all going to light your own and send them up into the sky. But first...Jay? And...Jay's friend? Wait...I know you! Katsu right? Riolu boy. Awesome movie by the way. Anyway, will you two do the honors of lighting and sending the first one off?" Skyla inquired.

Jay and Katsu both looked at one another and nodded. They took a match from Skyla and struck it, lighting the first Lantern to send off into the night sky. Soon, everyone followed their example. Goken lit his and sent it up, followed by Alice, Hugh, and Maikeru. Everyone above the tower and even Pokemon who were gathered below with trainers that had come to see the event sent theirs up. Soon, hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns were now floating into the sky.

Jay looked over at Katsu who was focused on the lanterns and how wonderful it all looked. With her last ounce of courage, she made a grab for Katsu's hand and held it tight, blushing profusely at what she'd just managed to do. As she did this, she looked up to see that Katsu wasn't unaffected. He was flushed too! Growing a little bolder, he intertwined their fingers, Katsu not opposing held tight afterwards.

 **X-X-X**

"HA! Pay up Alice!" Hugh grinned.

"What?! Hey, NO! We agreed that they _both_ have to say 'I love you' before or after the Tournament! They haven't _directly_ said that so I still have a chance to win this!" Alice shot back, sticking out her tongue.

"I don't know about that Alice. From what you told me of Jay, she'll probably faint before the words even leave her lips. I think this is the closest those two will ever get to saying it to each other..." Goken laughed.

"I'm not so sure about that Goken..."

"What do you mean, Maikeru?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed yet. Jay isn't hiding from people anymore. She's getting a heck of a lot more confident and I believe it's because of Katsu. So she and he can still muster up the courage to confess love for one another. Alice is still in this."

"Really?" Goken asked.

"Don't believe me? Fine. Let's join their bet. I'm with Alice and you can be with Hugh. Losers have to do what the winners say for a day!

"DEAL!" They all said in unison.

Jay and Katsu simply held hands as they continued to watch the lanterns float off into the night. Today was quite an eventful day. He'd never seen Jay in this light before. She was so vibrant, so incredible. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was amazing. He just...wished he knew the right words to say.

 **And that wraps that chapter up! Whew! That was a pretty long one. But I enjoyed writing it! A BIG thanks to PG-13 for sending me the idea a while back. Some of the dialogue here is courtesy of him as well. Most if was mine but a good bit of it was his as well. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed it. I loved writing this chapter and it really brought out another side of Jay that none of you probably EVER expected. That's right, our cute, awkward little Jay is not only fit, but she's a DANCER. How 'bout dem apples?! I'll stop now...I need sleep. x.x Anyway, find out what happens next time on Icy Wrath as Katsu goes for his next badge!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Good Morning everyone! So, how was the last chapter for you all? A bit different wasn't it? Jay worked up some real courage in this chapter and that's why I highlighted her A LOT. I had to go back and fix an error I made within the chapter. -Bonks himself on the head- I forgot to have them intertwine their fingers when Katsu and Jay held hands at the end. It's small, but it's** _ **very**_ **significant, so I rectified that error. Thanks for the reminder PG-13! Anyway, yeah, that's done and out of the way. Now, why don't we get down to what some of you I know are waiting for...the battle! That's right, it's Gym time!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 29: A Fight Against The Wind, Part One**

Mornings. Who didn't like them? They were always a reminder that one either had to go to school or they had something important to do that they dreaded doing. It was when the sun reminded everyone that it was time to wake up by obnoxiously shining a ray directly on top of their face as if to annoy them more. This...was one of those mornings for Jay. Last night had been so wonderful. She got to dance with Katsu! She almost wondered if it was a dream and that she was just going to wake up, at home, wondering what to do with her life. She was dreaming of the moment right before the crowd interrupted it. They were _both_ going in for a kiss. Gen had informed her, and Dusk confirmed it as well that Katsu was also leaning in. Oh how she wished she could rewind time and just pull him in, without caring about the crowd.

The very thought of it caused her to blush in her sleep. The sun constantly reminded her that it was time to get up. A groan escaped her lips. She did _not_ want to get up. Her dream was way too good to have to open her eyes now. Soon, the images that went through her mind and the irritating glow of the sun finally won. She got up with a cute little grumble and sat up in bed. With a stretch and a yawn she began to wake herself up. The image of their hands intertwining with one another flashed through her mind, causing her to madly blush. She became red up to her ears again and she shook the thought from her head. There was something important she wanted to tell him that night, but she never got to do so. She had missed her chance. Had she just said it after the dance...or before...no, she didn't have to courage to do that. But she did manage to hold his hand. That was enough, right? Nope.

She couldn't shake it from her mind.

 _'You're still thinking about it aren't you?'_

 _'When did you wake up?!'_

 _'You ought to know me by now Jay, I'm always up early, as are Dusk and Rif. Zor's the sleepyhead here...'_

Zor muttered something unintelligable in his sleep before rolling over into Jay's side. Jay laid herself back down on the bed and stroked Zor's fur.

 _'I-I am...I just...I just wish that-'_

 _'You had the courage to tell him?'_

 _'Yeah, that thing that I need more of...'_

 _'Jay, may I say something?'_

 _'Go ahead Dusk...'_

 _'You do have courage, whether you know it or not. Gen, Rif, and I were all watching you talk to people by yourself. You normally didn't do that and it surprised us slightly. And that's when we realized that it was because of Katsu, the one you feel so strongly for, that you were and are still able to do that.'_

 _'I know...it's just...why is it so hard? It's just three little words right? I have no problems with one liners and short replies...it should be easy for me...yet those three words are giving me more of a hassle than anything else. Why?'_

 _'I think it's because part of you is still unsure of how he feels.'_

 _'Well...good morning Zor...'_

 _'You've been listening all this time?'_

 _'I have Jay...I don't know too much about it, but from what I've seen...you have nothing to fear.'_

 _'What makes you all so sure? I mean...how can I be sure that he-'_

 _'Feels the same way? All you need do is what you fear the most...ask him. It's not easy, but at the same time it's as simple as just saying it straight out. The longer you hesitate the more he is going to wonder. I think he has more than laid his cards out on the table for you...I think it's about time you showed him your hand like you did last night...'_

 _'I...I don't know what to say Rif...all of you...I-I think...I'm not sure if I can do it...but I am willing to risk it if it means getting an answer.'_

 _'The worst he can say is 'no,' but I HIGHLY doubt, no...STRONGLY doubt he'll say no.'_

 _'And you know this Dusk, because...?'_

 _'Jay...the two of you danced together as if you had been dancing for years. The way he was so delicate with you and made sure you didn't fall or anything during the more difficult maneuvers, which he unsurprsingly learned so quickly, was testament enough that he is willing to recipricate those same affections towards you...'_

 _'Unsurprisingly? What do you mean by that?'_

 _'Jay...shiny Rufflet, Marill, Riolu, Dratini...LEGENDARIES. Need I continue?'_

 _'No...I know all this...I'm just out of it...'_

 _'Not surprising...you had a long night. Now it's time to make the most of your day. I swear Jay...if the two of you are not together soon...'_

 _'Together...'_ Jay thought, a faint blush creeping onto her features as she looked down at Zor, stroking his lovely fur.

Her mind was clearly focused on Katsu at this point. She had almost tuned out what Dusk had just said. The thought of her and Katsu being together _officially_ was quite a lot for her to take in. There were so many things that would stop her from doing it. The main one being her self-confidence. Then again...there were so many upsides to being with Katsu. She would have possibly the sweetest guy as a boyfriend. Their relationship, she could see, blossoming. Several other thoughts crossed her mind that she shook off. Some were of doubt, others were a bit future sighted. To hear the words 'I love you' from his lips pretty much every day was enough to make her melt. She craved it. She wanted it. And she was now resolving to get it.

Tossing off the covers, she stripped down and walked into the shower, not caring that her Pokemon were watching. What? She was comfortable around them okay?

 _'I'm...going to have to get used to that aren't I?'_

 _'Well...yes, she does that. It's funny, she can undress herself in front of us, but when it comes to confessing her love to the man of her choosing, she is at a loss.'_

 _'Now that is funny Dusk...'_ Zor sniggered.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu was up around eight o'clock. It was now ten in the morning. He was just stepping out of the shower himself and decided to pull out the cape jacket outfit he'd worn once before only he'd wear the black jeans with it this time. Today was the day. He would let the others challenge Skyla first and then challenge her later on in the day. He wanted to have plenty of time to come up with another strategy for the battle. It was going to be rather tricky because he only had two Pokemon that were viable against her. Marill could bounce and Rufflet obviously could fly. But he didn't have anything else that could.

He sighed softly to himself as he tried to map out his strategy. But something was distracting him from it. And that something was Jay. This was the third time they had been that close, the second time ending with her succeeding in kissing him full on the lips. The thought of their moment on the dance floor raced through his mind, causing him to lose concentration on his current issue. As he got dressed, his mind continued to flash images of them together, holding hands and each other.

 _'I'm guessing she's on your mind huh?'_

 _'Yeah...she is Riolu...'_

 _'I had a feeling...I could sense your aura, it's confused yet happy...it's rather nice to look at...'_

 _'Thanks. Now the only question is...what do I do?'_

 _'If you haven't figured that out by now, then you are a bigger doofus than you were when we first met...'_ Liepard sniggered.

 _'I'm only teasing though, you're a bright boy, but when it comes to a woman's feelings...you're a bit slow.'_

 _'I don't quite think it's that...well, that may partly contribute to it Liepard. I think he's just wrestling with his own feelings towards her...'_ Rufflet interjected.

 _'True, but he missed a big opportunity last night. We all saw the look on his face and I was surprised that he didn't take that opportunity after the dance to say anything...'_

 _'Wait...when were you out of your Pokeballs? I don't remember-'_

 _'We are able to let ourselves out you know...you were just to distracted by how hot Jay looked to notice, which I find hilarious...'_ Liepard snickered.

 _'Just admit it father, you are in love with the girl. And as your son, and friend, I demand you go inform her...I think she would make an excellent mother...'_

 _'Rufflet...they're not getting married feathers for brains...he's just going to ask her out..._ _ **right?**_ _'_ Liepard emphasized, looking pointedly at Katsu.

Katsu sighed softly and nodded. A soft laugh escaped his features as he listened to his Pokemon converse amongst themselves. They really were behind him all the way weren't they? A smile crossed his features as he made up his mind. He was going to do it. He had the confidence for it, and he wouldn't let anything deter him from it.

 _'By the way...father? How much longer until my new sibling hatches? I only ask this because it seems as though the egg has been getting extremely warm as of late. Just last night, while I slept against it, I swear I felt it shake and heard a heart beat. I know you do not have the same incubator that I had but you did have Darumaka sleeping REALLY close to it. His body is rather warm so I'm guessing that sped it along a bit more...'_

 _'Really? Let me ch-whoa you're right!'_

 _'See? I have a feeling that it may hatch VERY soon. I wonder if I will have another sister or another brother...'_

 _'Awww, I'm touched, you think of me as your sister bird brain?'_

 _'I do...even if you do annoy the heck out of me.'_

 _'I think I just might cry...'_ Liepard sniffed happily.

 _'Well guys...I need to get downstairs. You all are coming with me so let's get going. I am starving!'_

 _'So are we. I want some of that food you made in the cave.'_

 _'I'll give you guys some Riolu, now, let's get going...'_

Katsu picked up the Dratini egg and strapped it to his backpack as usual and then placed his sword and bokken on his back as well. And with Pokemon in tow, he went downstairs.

 **X-X-X**

Surprisingly, Jay was already down there and as usual, she looked stunning. Matching his cape jacket, she had on a black and white zip up hooded jacket with a black v-neck top beneath it, the jacket was unzipped for effect. She wore her pink skirt and black leggings with them. Her boots were the same ones as before. Her headphones were on her shoulders instead of her ears. Her hair showered down her back as usual. She didn't have it in a ponytail today. Katsu smiled softly as he walked over to her and sat down. Everyone else was sitting in the other booths, save for Alice and Hugh who were across from Katsu and Jay like usual.

"Morning all..." Katsu said slightly sleepily as he leaned back.

"Morning Katsu, sleep well?"

"I did Hugh, how 'bout everyone else?"

"Just splendid. I had so much fun last night I ended up tiring myself out and then falling asleep like a baby," Alice giggled.

"No complaints here, last night was a blast, especially Katsu and Jay. You two really killed it on the dance floor," Maikeru chuckled.

"No kidding, it was quite a sight," Goken finished.

"I slept alright, I stayed up a bit later to perfect my strategies for Skyla. I have no idea how tough she is so I'm going to assume she's really good and aim for better. I hope you've got something prepared too Katsu," Hugh smirked.

"As always...Hugh, I'm never unprepared."

"You...didn't seem prepared to dance with me Katsu...then again I can't exactly fault you for that," Jay giggled.

"Well, good morning to you too Jay," Katsu laughed.

Jay blushed and muttered cutely to herself before looking over at Katsu. Her eyes darted from him to her plate that had nothing on it yet. Her eyes shifted over to her left as a cart full of delicious delicacies was pushed towards their table. Her mouth watered at the sight. Pancakes, waffles, _turkey-bacon,_ hash-browns, biscuits and gravy, eggs...there was a lot of food. Being the gentlemen that they were, or aimed to be, the guys let Jay and Alice go first. After they got their food, Katsu and the other three got theirs.

Jay began eating, her mind still focused on that task she simply _had_ to do. She wasn't going to turn back now. She'd already held his hand, she'd already kissed them. It was as if they were unofficially official right? She just needed to _make_ it official. As she ate, she glanced over at him as he put a fork full of food in his mouth. Was now a good time? No...everyone was eating. Maybe afterwards? Resolving to wait a little longer so she could give herself more time, she resumed eating.

After about fifteen minutes, she had finished her food and so had Katsu and a few others who were grabbing seconds. Katsu decided to wait a bit before doing that. He had his egg in his lap and had his ear up to the side of it, as if to check for a heartbeat. Now was the time. She couldn't stand it any longer. She just had to while it was on her mind, otherwise...she'd never do it.

"Errm...Katsu?"

Katsu turned towards Jay, moving his face away from the large egg so he could see Jay.

"What's up?"

"Ummm...I-I...I had fun last night...with you," Jay stammered.

"I had fun with you too Jay. And like I said, you are amazing..." Katsu smiled.

"Th-thank you Katsu...so are you."

 _'Come on Jay! You can do this! It's not that hard right? It's only a simple question isn't it? Ask him out, ask him out! Say-'_

"I LOVE YOU!" Jay blurted out.

The room went dead silent. The nurse behind the counter blinked. Katsu went wide-eyed and everyone else stared.

"What...?" Katsu breathed out.

Jay blinked, her face turning Darmanitan red. She clasped her hands over her mouth, realizing that she had just admitted that she loved him out loud. A dizzy spell soon overtook her and she promptly fainted.

"HA! I WIN!" Alice exclaimed.

"Crap..." Hugh grumbled along with Goken.

"Look at it this way, at least you were right about the fainting part, Goken," Maikeru laughed.

 **X-X-X**

"J-Jay? Are you in there?" Katsu inquired as Jay's eyes started to flutter open.

"Errr...yeah...I think? What happened?"

"You passed out and have been that way for about fifteen minutes...you had me worried..." Katsu expressed.

"I did? But why did I...OH NO! I didn't! Katsu, please don't be mad at me, I didn't mean to say it! It slipped! I'm sorry I-"

Katsu pacified her with his finger as always. Why did this have to work so well? Katsu removed his finger once she was more calm and smiled at her. He clearly wasn't mad at her. He never understood why she felt the need to think that he would be. In all honesty, he was happy she'd said it. He was contemplating when to tell her himself, but she beat him to the punch.

"Once again Jay...you amaze me..." Katsu smiled.

"I-I do? Wait...you mean...you're not angry with me?"

"No...and yes, you do amaze me. Where do I even begin? You made me Castelia Cones...albeit you blew up the kitchen somehow in the process. Then...you took me to a carnival and showed me one heck of a good time. You helped me win my fourth badge. You defended me in front of your parents, and you protected me on the ship. And last night, I have no words to describe how wonderful that was. And now...I have no words to describe how wonderful you make me feel..."

"K-Katsu..." Jay sniffed, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she heard this.

"I know I've reminded you of these things before, but I think it's appropriate I do it again. Because what I'm about to say may be a lot to take in...it's only a few words but...well..." Katsu breathed in and exhaled.

"I love you too..." Katsu finally said.

A loud silence reigned over the room. It. _finally._ happened. Jay couldn't believe her ears. She blinked once. Twice. A third time. She even checked to make sure her heart was still going and that she wasn't crazy or dead. She had no words. Anything she wanted to say was snatched from her lips and they were thus sewn shut. The only thing that made sense to her at the moment was to wrap her arms around Katsu as tightly as possible and kiss him without caring who saw. She threw her arms around his neck and held him tight, her body trembling as he held her in return. It was slightly awkward with the egg almost in the way, but she didn't care. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she replayed his words in her mind. He said it! She couldn't believe her ears. But the words kept repeating. She was loved, by someone other than her family.

Without knowing it, the warmth of their bodies was transferring to the egg which was already nicely heated. Suddenly, it began to crack. The first thing that popped out was a tail. It was blue with a white underside. Soon the rest of the egg began to crack and it suddenly fell apart. The fragments of the egg fell to the floor, some remaining in Katsu's lap as the rather _long_ serpentine Pokemon uncoiled itself and looked around. Dratini was approximately five feet in length after it hatched, and would eventually reach maturity before advancing to the next stage. Dratini had a prominent white nose and upon closer inspection it appeared to lack a mouth. This however, was not the case. The mouth was hidden beneath layers of skin that closed seamlessly, giving the false perception of it having no mouth. Dratini also had white three pronged fins on either side of its head. This Dratini was a female.

Dratini happened to be curled in such a manner that her attention focused on Jay. Realizing she was laying in Katsu's lap, she looked up at him in a bewildered manner. She glanced between the two once more before something clicked in her head.

 _'Momma?'_ She said as she looked over at Jay who could clearly understand her.

 _'Papa?'_ She inquired further, looking up at Katsu.

Gen and Zor suppressed a laugh, Dusk chuckled and Rif blinked repeatedly. Hugh and the others didn't understand what was going on, but by the looks of things, Dratini was sorting something out in her head.

"Is she talking to you...Katsu?" Alice inquired.

"Yes...and to Jay too..." Katsu replied softly, a faint smile resting on his features. He was slightly awestruck.

"What did she say?" Goken interjected.

"She...she called us...momma and papa..." Katsu replied. Jay nodded, confirming that is exactly what Dratini had said.

"I...I don't know how to...I can't even..." Jay mumbled, rubbing her temples as she tried to process it.

"Me either..." Katsu sighed, looking down at Dratini who now curled up in both their laps since they were sitting so close. It was a remarkable sight.

Katsu ran his hand along the slick skin of Dratini, stopping at her head only to feel Jay's hand cover his. They both looked up and a faint blush crossed their features at this moment. They were close again, only this time...Jay didn't let her earlier feelings get to her. Making a bold stand against her former shyness, Jay leaned in first, without a care in the world and gave no Muks at all. She pressed her lips firmly to Katsu's, much to his surprise as he hadn't expected her to do this again for a while. Yes, there were others watching. Did she care? No. As far as she was concerned, she was marking _her_ territory. She lingered longer than before and slowly but surely pulled away, slightly whimpering that she had to come up for air. Everyone gawked. Katsu opened his eyes and smiled gently. Shivers ran through his frame the moment she'd kissed him.

She had gone forth with reckless abandon and triumphed over her weakness. Jay, satisfied with the stupefied looks on everyone's faces, intertwined her fingers with Katsu's and simply smiled happily, still blushing however. Katsu was also blushing, but it was a good thing. She thought it was adorable when he did that. Rufflet had been out of the ball along with his other companions and they saw the whole thing go down. Rufflet, eager to meet his sister, fluttered down and rested upon Katsu's right shoulder, looking down at her.

 _'It's good to finally meet you...sister...'_

Dratini tilted her head slightly at this remark. He didn't look like her at all. How could she be his sister? Then again...the one's who had hatched her didn't look like her either. Sorting this out in her mind, she came to the conclusion that it didn't matter what species one was, when with a trainer, _everyone_ is family.

 _'It's...nice to meet you as well, brother...'_ Dratini smiled, if one could see it.

Katsu took out his Pokedex and checked on Dratini's stats. What he saw surprised him. He blinked a few times before re-reading the stats and attacks. Her ability was Marvel Scale and it looked like her stats were fairly decent. She had Extreme Speed in her move set as well as Dragon Dance, Dragon Rush, and Thunderwave. This was _definitely_ worthy of being the top prize. Whoever bred the Dratini must have been a wonderful breeder and put a lot of time and effort into making her just perfect.

"So...what's her status?" Hugh asked curiously.

"Marvel Scale...according to this, it's usually a hidden ability but she has it as her primary. Let's see...okay wow...this is as lucky as it gets. I think I'm going to have fun with this..." Katsu chuckled.

"I bet you will Katsu...I bet you will," Alice sniggered.

 _'Hey there...Dratini...'_ Katsu smiled glancing down at her, somewhat startling her that he was speaking to her.

 _'H-hi...papa...I didn't know you could speak to me this way...can momma do that too?'_

 _'Yes...however we're not exactly able to communicate to each other that way...yet anyway...'_

 _'I see...I'm sure you two will figure it out papa...'_

 _'So...Multi Scale? And from the looks of things...your have a bit of a defect...'_

 _'I know...it's strange. Something didn't develop quite right due to how fast I was hatched. I'm the right length...but something feels...different...'_

 _'I can see that...from what I can see, you still have your original primary abilites...how is that even possible?'_

 _'It's plausible that...during my time in the egg, my hatching was rather rushed...not giving my body nearly enough time to distribute the proper qualities, thus resulting in what I am...papa. However...this will vanish when I am fully evolved...'_

 _'I see...that's right...according to what I know, your final stage doesn't have that other ability...well it's not all bad.'_

 _'Papa? May I speak to momma?'_

 _'Err...sure, go ahead, I don't mind.'_

Dratini turned towards Jay, her eyes showing she was smiling as she met Jay's eyes.

 _'Hi...momma...'_

 _'H-hi...wow...this is...I can't even...'_

Dratini suppressed a giggle.

 _'You're funny momma...how are you?'_

 _'I-I'm fine, just trying to get used to this. Katsu, the one you call papa...and I, we...just got together the moment you hatched...'_

 _'Really? It sounds like I came at a special time...'_

 _'You did...yes...I'm happy this happened too. And I'm really glad to meet you,'_ Jay smiled.

Dratini nodded and looked between Katsu and Jay. She could feel that the two were practically meant for one another. It was just one of those things one didn't even need to see to believe. She looked at her brother, Rufflet, a smile formulating under her folds as she nodded to him. She wanted to learn about him as well as Katsu and Jay.

"So...Jay, any ideas on what we ought to name her?" Katsu inquired.

"Uh...uh...us? Name her? I-I...uh...oh my..." Jay stammered, causing Dratini to tilt her head curiously.

"Hmmm...I...I think maybe...Tini? Since she's a girl...I don't know..." Jay sighed, looking down at Dratini who seemed to approve of the name.

"I rather like that actually..." Katsu smiled.

 _'So...do you like that nickname?'_

 _'I think it'll grow on me...yes...I do like it...a lot papa.'_

 _'I'm glad, now...my next question. How do you feel about battling with me in the gym?'_

 _'Hmmm...well...it would do me some good. But...could we train first maybe? I...I don't have experience battling and I don't think it would be a good idea to throw me headlong into a fight...'_

 _'You're right Tini...and don't worry, I wasn't planning on it. I'll train you before the match so you'll be ready...'_

 _'Thanks papa...'_

"Jay?" Katsu inquired.

"Y-yeah?"

"I'm going to ask you a favor. I want to do some training with Tini because she and I want to fight together in the next gym match. I know she's registered as my Pokemon...but could you hold her on your belt and toss her to me when needed? Think of it as sharing her...considering we finished her hatching. Here's her ball," Katsu smiled as he held out what appeared to be Premier Ball. How fitting.

Jay glanced at the primarily white Pokeball before her and smiled. Jay took it and hitched it to her belt. She looked up at Katsu with a smile still fixated on her features.

"So...erm...Katsu? Does...does this mean, we're-"

"Official? Yes..." Katsu smiled, causing Jay to happily wrap her arms around him again.

"Get a room you two..." Alice muttered.

At that moment, for some unexplained reason, Alice was blasted in the face by water from Marill. She sputtered and glared at the water mouse who was smirking at her. Alice huffed and shook her head, turning towards Hugh and the others before speaking.

"Well, I'm off to the gym. Hugh, I assume you'll be coming with?"

"I will be too, I'm not sure if you all guessed it or not but...I've got badges to hunt too..." Goken nodded.

"Well, then this is going to be a really long day," Katsu laughed as he listened.

"You coming Katsu?" Maikeru asked.

"I'm gonna get some training in with Tini before I challenge the gym...I want to be able to work with her in the match."

"Well, alright then, suit yourself. Let's go guys," Alice stated as she stepped out.

"Hang on a sec...I gotta swap some Pokemon out. I'm going against my weakness here so I gotta have something ready..." Goken said as he made his way over to wherever the Pokemon transfer machines were.

"If you're certain..." Hugh called back as he left with the others.

 **X-X-X**

After swapping out his Pokemon, Goken made his way towards the gym where the others would be waiting. They were all standing around waiting to see who would battle first. Skyla wasn't anywhere to be seen however. At that point, a loud sound caught their attention. Skyla was sent rocketing out of a cannon that spewed confetti after it shot her high into the air. She quickly snapped open her parachute and landed lightly on the ground after sailing around the gym for a little while. Everyone raised a brow at this as she landed.

"Sorry, it's been so long since I've done that. I needed something to release my stress before starting. It always gives me a rush you know?" Skyla laughed.

"Anyway, which one of you is up first?" Skyla inquired.

"I'll go first. I've been working out a strategy all day...I do believe that it should be sufficient..." Goken smirked, stepping up to challenge Skyla.

"We shall see...well, let's get started shall we?" Skyla grinned.

Goken nodded and walked over to the opposite side of the field. Skyla had four Pokemon which meant one of his would be at a disadvantage. He kept Gurdurr and traded in Gallade, and his Scraggy and brought in Luxio, Buizel and since the egg hadn't hatched yet...he took in Staravia. His lineup was set and he was ready to go.

"This Gym Battle is between the Mistralton City Gym Leader; Skyla and the challenger; Goken! This will be a four on four battle! Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon. Goken will have the first move. Ready? Begin!"

"Sigilyph, take flight!"

"Gurdurr let's go!"

The muscular Fighting-type slammed his beam into the ground as it stood opposed to the odd looking Flying/Psychic-type before him. He could already feel he was at a disadvantage, but Goken didn't let that sway him. He knew the weaknesses of his Pokemon like the back of his hand. He couldn't work around the Psychic weakness as he wasn't expecting it...however, he could work around the flying one and that's what counted most in this match.

"Sigilyph, Air Cutter!"

"Gurdurr, block it with your beam!"

Gurdurr swung the steel beam in front of him and the oncoming Air Cutter dispersed the moment it made contact, however Gurdurr was pushed back quite a bit.

 _'That's a pretty strong Air Cutter...normally Gurdurr can stand his ground quite well against something like that...but I have a feeling that if I don't wrap this up it's going to be a short match for Gurdurr...'_

"Gurdurr, Focus Energy!"

Gurdurr flexed his muscles and breathed in deeply. He closed his eyes as he tapped into the power of his fighting spirit, causing an orange glow to surround his body. His eyes focused in on Sigilyph and he waited for an opportunity to strike.

"Sigilyph, use Psychic!"

"Gurdurr, brace yourself!"

Gurdurr closed his eyes as the Psychic effect took hold. Sigilyph raised Gurdurr high into the air, the attack practically draining Gurdurr's strength in the process from the pain he was experiencing, yet he remained vigilant. Gurdurr was soon sent crashing towards the ground and then flung across the arena, skidding and tumbling in the process. Gurdurr got up weakly, using the beam as a brace before standing erect.

"Finish it with Air Cutter!"

"Block it and use Rock Throw!"

Sigilyph flapped its unusual wings rapidly, creating sharp blasts of air that shot towards Gurdurr, who, guessing the distance, swung his steel beam around and blocked the assault effectively before sliding back. He then formulated a rather large rock, roughly about the size of a beach ball and chucked it at Sigilyph. Surprised, it didn't have enough time to dodge. The large miniature boulder slammed into Sigilyph, knocking him out in that instant. Goken had scored a critical by the looks of things.

"Sigilyph is unable to battle! Gurdurr wins!" The referee announced.

"Not bad at all Goken. I wasn't expecting Gurdurr to be able to beat Sigilyph. Most of the time, Fighting-types lose. It looks like you counteracted that weakness...very nicely done," Skyla smirked, recalling Sigilyph.

"Thanks...I know that Gurdurr is weak to your types...but that is why I taught him what he knows. He is to overcome that weakness. And it seems his training has paid off in this match..." Goken observed.

"True, he is strong...but will it be enough? Swoobat, let's go!"

What could possibly be described as one of the more strange Pokemon in her arsenal...came out of the Pokeball. She had a heart-shaped nose, the head like a bat with rather large ears. Fangs protruded from its mouth and bat wings spread out from what appeared to be a tuft of fur.

 _'This could be trouble...Swoobat is just like Sigilyph...'_

"Gurdurr use Rock Throw!"

"Attract..."

As Gurdurr was picking up the rock to throw it, he made eye-contact with Swoobat which was a bit of a mistake. Swoobat fluttered her lashes at him and several hearts circled around his body until they all converged upon him. An amorous feeling overtook him and he dropped the rock.

"Oh no! Gurdurr, snap out of it!"

Gurdurr wouldn't be moved. It was now captivated by Swoobat which was less than ideal.

"Psychic, then use Acrobatics to finish it..."

Swoobat complied and took hold of Gurdurr, raising him up into the air with her mind before taking off in a blur of movement. She battered Gurdurr from every side, appearing to the left, right, front and back all simultaneously while striking him. To finish the job, Swoobat slammed Gurdurr into the ground with Psychic's hold. Gurdurr was unconscious after the brutal assault.

"Gurdurr is unable to battle! Swoobat wins!" The referee declared.

"Gurdurr, return...you did well," Goken stated as he brought back his companion.

"Buizel, you're on!"

 **X-X-X**

"So...what strategy have you come up with Katsu?" Jay inquired, wondering what he was going to do with Tini now being one of his Pokemon for the gym match.

"Well...there is something I want to test first...if Tini is up for it..." Katsu smiled.

 _'What is it papa?'_

"Tini, I want to test something...this may sound a little strange, but I want you to use Thunderwave on yourself..."

"Wait a minute Katsu...won't that paralyze her? That seems a bit counterproductive..."

"I just want to test something...ready Tini?"

 _'If you're sure papa...'_

Tini closed her eyes and drew in the electrical energies from within her being. Sparks began to fly from her form and utilizing her control, she drew them inward, effectively paralyzing herself. After this happened, her body began to glow a bright golden aura, signifying that her defenses were rising steadily. At that same moment, the paralysis wore off as a layer of skin fell off of her. She blinked as she felt the change come over her and looked down.

 _'I...I can move...wow, so this is what it feels like to use that...shedding my skin is so strange...'_

"I had a feeling it would work. Your ability activates as soon as you have a status condition. Your primary instinct is to rid yourself of it, therefore it's like you never lost your first ability at all. This will play largely to our advantage later on."

 _'I see, at first I wasn't sure of the point of hindering myself papa...but now I see why. Was momma worried?'_

 _'A little...yes. But I let her know things were okay...'_

 _'Thank goodness...'_

 _'Shall we try something else out?'_

 _'Of course papa!'_

 **X-X-X**

The match between Skyla and Goken was getting intense. Buizel barely managed to take down Swoobat after an Ice Beam attack connected solidly. However, in its wornout state, Buizel fell to Skarmory, who was now locked in battle with a Luxio, and that one was getting close as well.

"Skarmory, X-Scissor!"

"Luxio, Wild Charge!"

Luxio and Skarmory raced towards one another, both aiming to end the battle right then and there. A loud BANG resounded Steel connected with furry flesh, creating an explosion that rocked the arena. When the dust cleared, Luxio was struggling to stand and Skarmory was out cold.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Luxio is the winner!" The referee called out.

"Skarmory return," Skyla said with a smirk.

"Well, I've gotta hand it to you. You certainly do know how to surprise me Goken. I thought for sure Skarmory had you there."

"You're a lot stronger than I originally thought Skyla...but this match is going to be mine."

"We'll see about that Goken...Swanna, your time to shine!"

 **And there is the end of part one! Obviously I'm going to assume the others got their shot at the badge next, considering it would take way too much time to write out those battles. That battle in Asperita was a one time deal. Anyway, it looks like it's official people! Jay and Katsu are a thing! The JayKat ship has sailed! And what a way to start it too huh? And look, Dratini calls them momma and papa! -Dies from cuteness factor- Anyway, the next part of the match between Goken comes up as it winds down. Let's see how he does and then we'll get to see Katsu in action! See how he does, next time on Icy Wrath!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Good Afternoon everyone! How goes it? I know what some of you are probably thinking right now. ABOUT TIME! Yes, Jay and Katsu are a thing. You can now stop sitting at the edge of your seat on that matter. All kidding aside, I had fun writing this. Also, yes...the thing with Dratini will remain a thing for a while until it evolves into the third stage and just destroys everything. Wait...what? Anyway, the match continues with Skyla and Goken and soon it will be Katsu's turn! Let's see what Katsu has up his sleeve for this match! It's going to be a doozy. It's go time people! Let's do this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 30: A Fight Against The Wind, Part Two**

A powerful Scald blasted into Luxio's side which sent him flying across the arena, landing in a heap. Luxio was knocked out after quite a struggle. Swanna had roosted off the electrical attacks and looked as though she weren't at all fazed by the battle. That was unsettling for Goken. He returned Luxio and looked up at Swanna. All he had left was Staravia.

 _'Well...here's hoping...'_ Goken stated as he looked down at his last Pokemon.

"Staravia, you're up!"

The Starling Pokemon burst onto the battlefield and spread his wings wide. This was a battle that Goken had to win. Staravia could sense that from Goken and would do what it took in order to make that a reality. This Staravia was a special one in that it had his hidden ability as his primary. That being said, he was easily the tougher contender on the field.

"It looks like we're about to have an aerial match after all. I can't wait to see what Staravia can do...but will it be able to defeat my Swanna?"

"Oh, we'll beat her alright. Staravia, Quick Attack!"

"Swanna, Hurricane!"

Swanna spread her majestic wings wide before slamming them together, causing a blast of wind to lash out at Staravia, forming itself into a massive spiral of winds. Being the faster of the two, Staravia was easily able to avoid the oncoming blast of air, barrel rolling away from it before launching himself forward once more.

"Now use Double Edge!"

Staravia had closed in with Quick Attack way too close for Swanna to be able to dodge. She was rammed into rather harshly by Staravia, driving her towards the arena floor. Staravia winced at the recoil he suffered and continued to stay aloft. Due to the power of his ability, Reckless, the power was boosted significantly. Swanna struggled to lift off the ground and rose rather unsteadily into the air.

"Swanna, use Roost!"

"Quick Attack, don't let her do that!"

Swanna spread her wings and began to take in energy to heal her wounds. As she was about to finish up, she was rammed into by Staravia and sent flying once more. Goken had her in a bind. She was already physically exhausted from fighting Luxio. She wasn't going to last much longer.

"Scald!"

"Double Edge!"

Swanna gurgled water into her bill before releasing a torrent of high pressured heated water that rocketed towards Staravia. The Starling Pokemon barely managed to avoid the pressurized water and connected powerfully with Swanna's frame, sending her sprawling out of control and crashing harshly into the ground. The dust soon settled and Swanna was completely out of it.

"Swanna is unable to battle! Staravia wins and the victory goes to Goken!" The referee declared.

"That was one heck of a battle you showed me Goken. I have to admit, it was a tough fight but you ended up besting me in the end. You deserve this badge," Skyla said as she walked towards him, placing the badge in his hand.

 **X-X-X**

"I wonder how everyone's doing...Tini and I have been at this for a while. What's it been...a few hours now? I'm willing to bet they're waiting on us..." Katsu chuckled.

"Probably...so, do you think your combos will work in that gym?"

"I'm sure I'll be okay Jay...I have full faith in my team. It's going to be rather tricky since all of her Pokemon can get airborne...but I know there is more than one way to bring them down..." Katsu smirked.

At that moment, Katsu's XTransceiver buzzed. He blinked as he looked down at the message.

"Looks like Goken won. And it appears that she's got a pretty diverse team too...two of them being Psychic/Flying-types. This just got interesting. Looks like Liepard will be sharpening her claws after all. It looks like Hugh is doing his match right now...Alice just informed me of it."

Katsu looked down at Tini who blinked as he spoke of Liepard.

"Oh...yeah, you haven't met her yet have you? Heh...you're in for a treat. She can be quite mischievous...Liepard, come on out!"

With her usual elegance, Liepard immerged into a stretch. She looked around with an amused grin, remembering the previous events that had taken place. She'd seen Tini hatch, she just didn't get much of a chance to talk to her yet.

 _'Well, it seems my favorite two trainers have finally found their way to each other. One question for you Katsu...how good is she?'_ Liepard sniggered.

 _'On a scale of one to ten? I don't know...the scale kinda...broke...'_

 _'I see, overwhelming?'_

 _'Why are we discussing this?'_

 _'Because I love to pester you Katsu...you've had me long enough to know this by now...'_ Liepard sniggered.

 _'Right...I still haven't forgotten when we first met...'_

 _'Nor have I, the look on your face was and is still priceless...though the previous night's was much more hysterical. I'm sorry Katsu...but never have I seen you that stupefied.'_

 _'Umm...h-hi?'_

 _'Oh, hello there sister Tini, I guess we haven't met formally now have we?'_

 _'No, papa hasn't introduced me to everyone just yet. Rufflet was the first though.'_

 _'Ah, feathers for brains...well, like you, he hatched from an egg so it figures he'd flock towards you. He's a bit of an odd ball but a good one at that.'_

 _'Which reminds me...Katsu? You mentioned something a few hours ago about the upcoming gym battle. Any chance I'll get to have some fun?'_ Liepard inquired.

 _'I've already decided on that. Yes, it appears I will need you in this fight. So it will be you, Rufflet, Marill and Tini.'_

 _'Well then, what are we waiting for? Shall we head on over there now?'_

 _'Of course...'_

Katsu returned Liepard and Tini to their respective balls and looked over at Jay.

"I trust you had a pleasant conversation?" Jay said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, something like that...so...shall we?" Katsu inquired.

"Y-yeah...let's go. I am looking forward to... seeing our Tini in action..." Jay stated, blushing at that statement.

Just saying the word _'our'_ felt so weird to her. Although Zor was officially hers, she was also Katsu's in a sense because he trained him. And now he was sharing Tini with her even though it's officially Katsu's. But the thing that really baffled her was that Tini looked at them as her parents. Essentially, that's what they were to her. When a baby anything comes out of their egg, usually the first living being they see is designated as a parental figure. And as it was with Rufflet, so it was for Tini. Katsu looked down at his belt and then over at Jay's. He'd handed over Excadrill for a while until he needed him again. He didn't want to have to inconvenience himself by sending him to the PC if Jay could look after him. He would have done the same with Zor, but he wanted to do something special for Jay.

Katsu noticed that Jay was getting a lot more confident as of late. She already was showing signs of that, but after the previous night, it seemed like she was walking on air. In the beginning she was a bit slouched and sluggish. She got better as time went on and now? She was upright and didn't seem to have as much of a nervous air about her as she did before. She walked a bit more with purpose in each step. Katsu smiled upon seeing this. Jay was oblivious at this point since she had her headphones in to listen to some music. She walked around with them on a _lot_ less than before.

They made their way towards the gym and pushed open the doors. Everyone turned to see them walk inside. It appeared as though a battle had finished up and Skyla was ready for Katsu.

"About time you two showed up. How'd the training go?" Hugh wondered.

"Heh...I guess you'll have to see for yourself Hugh, you know I don't reveal any strategies beforehand. How'd your battle go?" Katsu chuckled.

"That's because you do them on the fly...and also, it went great. Just barely scraped by but I managed. That combination you taught me worked wonders..."

"Really? I'm happy to hear that."

"Combination? You mean...that strategy you used on me Hugh...with the Ice Beam and Aqua Jet...you learned from Katsu?"

"Yep..."

"I see...it looks like he will be more of a challenge than I originally pinned him to be. I can't wait..." Skyla grinned.

"Nor can I..." Katsu smirked.

 **X-X-X**

"This Gym Battle is between the Mistralton City Gym Leader; Skyla and the challenger; Katsu Aiko! This will be a four on four battle! Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Katsu will have the first move. Ready? Begin!"

"Rufflet, let's go!"

"Swoobat, take off!"

Rufflet immerged onto the field in a shower of sparkles which heralded his arrival. Swoobat blinked and Skyla's eyes popped at what she was seeing. She blinked once. Twice. And then shook her head vigorously.

"Is that a-"

"Shiny Rufflet? Yes...and before you ask me how I got him I'm going to tell you the short version. He was an early birthday present. I was given an egg to take care of by my mom and it just so happened that he hatched from it. Thus, the reason I was able to start my journey," Katsu summed up.

"Still...that's AWESOME!" Skyla laughed.

Skyla clearly loved flying types and this took the cake for her.

"Now that you've finished making me jealous...how about our battle, hmm?" Skyla smirked.

"I thought we'd never get to it...Rufflet let's give her a show, use Tailwind!"

"Swoobat, Attract!"

Rufflet knew full well what this move would do to him as he'd seen it done once before. He quickly caught a Tailwind and accelerated off of it, keeping ahead of the torrent of hearts that were shot his way. They were gaining considerably until he decided to pull into a kolbit and let them shatter ahead of him before he made a dive for Swoobat.

"He's not getting away that easily! Acrobatics!"

Swoobat rushed toward Rufflet at intense speeds. She wasn't nearly as fast as the little bird due to it using Tailwind to out-speed her, however...since he'd gotten so close it would be difficult to avoid the attack that was coming. Rufflet, however, was no stranger to the ever shifting winds of battle. With a might flap of his wings he forced the air around him to expell outwards, pushing his body backwards just as Swoobat closed in to land the first strike. The attack barely missed Rufflet as Swoobat circled around for another assault.

Rufflet took off with the aid of Tailwind and continued to race across the skyline.

"Attract once more!"

Swoobat fired a whirlwind of hearts towards Rufflet who promptly barrel rolled out of the way to avoid the oncoming enamoring atrocities. He circled around and made a dive for Swoobat once more, riding the Tailwind to keep his accleration at a fast and maintainable rate.

"Let's go, Steel Wing then use your new move, Crush Claw!"

Rufflet nodded as he raced forwards, his wings giving off a steel sheen to them as he accelerated. His talons began to glow and crackle with dark red energies.

"Swoobat, use Energy Ball!"

Rufflet continued his course as Swoobat gathered up the energies of Mother Nature, formulating an emerald sphere before her, firing it off in Rufflet's direction. Rufflet put his steel coated wings to use and angled it so that the ball of verdant energy would ricochet harmlessly off of it and crash into the arena. The attack didn't do much to hinder his course, save for make him waver, _slightly._ Due to the swift current of the Tailwind he was able to reach Swoobat before she had the chance to react. His steel wings slammed hard into her as he clapped them shut around her head, jogging her skull a bit before he slammed his Sheer Force backed Crush Claw into her torso, knocking her clear to the floor below.

"Swoobat is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" The referee declared.

Skyla's mouth fell open as Swoobat crashed hard into the floor. Rufflet remained hovering where he was and Skyla simply returned Swoobat.

"Wow, that Rufflet is unexpectedly strong. I wasn't able to catch the little guy and normally Swoobat is fast enough. I gotta say Katsu, I'm impressed."

"Err...thanks Skyla," Katsu chuckled.

 **X-X-X**

"Could that Rufflet of his get any tougher? I mean...I get that it was his first and all, but a solid two hit knock out? And it didn't even look like he was trying either. Swoobat gave me some trouble," Goken muttered.

"Well...his Rufflet does have Sheer Force. And both moves that are affected by it connected. That and he's trained Rufflet how to handle faster Pokemon than himself, hence the Tailwind. The one downside Rufflet has is that it's not all that fast. But with the boost...he can keep going for quite a while..." Alice interjected.

"That explains quite a bit...I watched him in the World Tournament and he was already a bruiser...this just showed more of his ferocity..."

 **X-X-X**

"Skarmory let's go!"

 _'This could be trouble...I may want to bring Rufflet back in. I want to save him for later...'_

"Rufflet, return!" Katsu stated, returning Rufflet to his ball, just as the Tailwind ended.

"Not gonna fight it out with Rufflet huh? Then again, I see why...you knew your Tailwind would be up soon and on top of that Skarmory has the advantage over him in every aspect...wise choice..." Skyla smirked.

"Heh, you got me. Now it's time for me to really start having some fun," Katsu smirked.

"Oh no..." Alice face palmed, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Is he going to-"

"Marill, you're on!"

The little blue mouse came bouncing out of his Pokeball, extremely happy for some apparent reason. His eyes darted up towards Skarmory and then back to Katsu.

 _'Oh! Am I in another gym battle? This looks like a gym battle!'_

 _'You seem rather ecstatic today Marill, not that you aren't anyway. What's the occassion?'_

 _'I dunno...'_ He bounced up high once.

 _'I just feel...'_ He bounced up high a second time.

 _'A little different...'_ He bounced higher this time before landing on her feet.

"Awww, is that a Marill, she's adorable!" Skyla laughed.

Alice paled. She should not have said that. Before she could say anything, Marill turned and glared at Skyla. This...would not end well.

 _'Why does EVERYONE think I'm a girl?! I'm a_ _ **BOY!**_ _'_

At that moment, Marill's body was engulfed in a bright white light which nearly blinded everyone who was looking. Katsu shielded his eyes from the light as Marill began to evolve. The light soon dimmed and standing in place of Marill was a much larger Pokemon. He had a white lower half, with a white bubble-like pattern on the blue half of his body which apparently was for camouflage purposes. His ears had gotten _much_ longer and were more rabbit-like than anything else. Those ears were able to hear incredible distances, even if he was underwater now. His tail got longer and still zig-zagged with a blue ball at the end.

Katsu took out his Pokedex and looked at his newly evolved Pokemon.

 **Azumarill. The Aqua Rabbit Pokemon. It's long ears are superb sensors. It can distinguish the movements of things in water, no matter how fast the water moves, and tell exactly what they are.**

"Well...this definitely makes things interesting...I wasn't expecting to see an evolution. Huh. I guess you see something different every day huh?"

"I wasn't expecting it right away...though I knew he would eventually evolve."

"Wait...he? Sorry, I usually assume that Marill are female...there really isn't a clear way to identify them..." Skyla chuckled nervously.

Meanwhile, Azumarill was muttering something about bimbos under his breath. Katsu simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Well, shall we? I'm eager to see how this turns out..." Katsu smirked.

"Me too, Skarmory, use X-Scissor!"

"Azumarill, Bounce and use Aqua Jet!"

Skarmory tore after Azumarill, screeching her challenge as she rocketed towards Azumarill. The water rabbit positioned his tail beneath him and bounced high above the arena, Skarmory missing him by a few feet. Azumaril smirked as water cloaked his frame. It was time for one of his favorite maneuvers. Azumarill came rocketing down at intense speeds, utilizing the priority of the water jets that propelled him to ram all 62 pounds of himself at break-neck speed into Skarmory. The impact shot Skarmory to the ground, causing the Steel/Flying-type to crash _hard_ into the ground.

Skarmory, thoroughly ticked off, staggered to her feet and struggled into the air. Skyla sighed in relief, remembering the Sturdy ability that Skarmory had. It soon dawned on her that Azumarill almost instantly knocked out her Skarmory. That, was some serious power that Katsu was packing.

"Skarmory, use Aerial Ace!"

"Aqua Jet, let's go!"

Skarmory screeched loudly and then took off on a suicide mission towards Azumarill. Skyla was waiting for just the right opportunity and the moment Azumarill got closer was when she acted.

"X-Scissor!"

"Ice Punch!"

Skyla's eyes grew wide as Azumarill managed to super-freeze the Aqua Jet just as Skarmory was right on top of him. The two attacks collided and shards of ice were shot everywhere, causing everyone to cover their heads until it all settled down. When it was safe to look, everyone saw Skarmory knocked out cold with Azumarill bouncing back towards Katsu.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Azumarill wins!" The referee informed.

"Well...now I see what Hugh meant by you being better at that. I didn't even think water could freeze that fast...wow..." Skyla said as she returned Skarmory.

"Let's go Sigilyph!" Skyla called out, not making anymore time for talk.

 _'He's definitely the challenge I've been waiting for. I don't think I've faced anyone this tough in a long time. So far...he's taken down two of mine. All I've managed to do was scare off his Rufflet...I need to make a stand here...'_

"Azumarill, return!" Katsu suddenly called out.

Skyla blinked at this. Just what was he up to?

"Good job my friend, get a some rest. I'll need you later..." Katsu chuckled as he picked up his next Pokemon.

"Liepard, you're up!"

The purple feline also known as Purple Phantom, launched herself onto the field into a crouched position before straightening up. She grinned at her opponent, knowing that it was a Psychic type. Katsu had just given her a marvelous gift. She loved it when he did this.

 _'And now he's got me cornered...this rules out one of my major strategies with Sigilyph...it's as if he planned this or something...but hardly anyone I've met is THAT perceptive...'_

"Sigilyph, Air Cutter!"

"Liepard, Feint Attack and Night Slash!"

Sigilyph gathered the power of its element into its wings and flapped them furiously, sending out several sharp bursts of wind towards Liepard. Before the blasts could reach her, she vanished. Her feet silently blurred across the ground, her predatory instincts kicking in as she circled round her enemy. She leapt high into the air after coming into view and lashed out with both claws, connecting the Feing Attack and the followup Night Slash in one clean swipe. Sigilyph was sent crashing into the arena floor, badly injured and struggling to fly.

"Shadow Ball!"

Dark and ghostly energies gathered into Liepard's mouth as she reared her head back. Once the ball began to vibrate she launched it at the struggling Sigilyph who took it full force. The explosion thereof rocked the arena, kicking up dust. When it all calmed down, Sigilyph was out cold.

"Sigilyph is unable to battle! Liepard wins!" The referee announced.

Sigilyph was absorbed by a flash of red light. Liepard sat there, her tail flickering to and fro as she licked her paw.

"Well Katsu, you've managed to get me down to my last Pokemon...but don't think you're out of the woods. You may have defeated the others easier but my last one isn't that easy...Swanna, let's go!"

 _'Be on guard Liepard...this must be her best...'_

 _'Will do...I can't exactly say I like where this is going.'_

"Use Scald, full force!"

"Feint Attack!"

Swanna gathered aquatic energies into her bill, waiting until the pressure was just right before shooting torrent of high pressured, _fast_ moving hot water towards Liepard. The feline didn't have much time to avoid it and took a heavy hit from the high powered blast. She took a tumble before skidding to a stop.

 _'Well...that was unpleasent...'_ Liepard grumbled to herself as she looked up at Swanna, her fur all sopping wet.

"Now use Hurricane!"

Swanna flapped her wings heavily, and whipped up powerful gusts of wind that rushed towards Liepard in tornado-like form. Liepard's eyes widened as it neared, and as she tried to move away, she was caught in it and flung backwards, crashing into the arena with a _thud._ Liepard was now unconscious.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Swanna wins!" The referee announced.

Katsu sighed softly and returned Liepard to her ball.

"It's alright Liepard, you did your best. You deserve a good rest..." Katsu stated as he reached for Rufflet's ball.

"Rufflet, let's go!" Katsu called out.

"So, it's an aerial battle again! Alright, let's do it!"

 **X-X-X**

"Katsu really ought to be careful...that Swanna wrecked most of my team. Had it not been for what Katsu taught me I might not have won that," Hugh sighed.

"I know...I only managed to defeat Swanna due to Staravia being a bit more aggressive. Had her two attacks connected, I could have easily lost that. Skyla's really good," Goken concurred.

"I know Katsu will win...even if the odds are stacked against him, he will win..." Jay said with a determined look on her visage.

"You really do mean what you said to him...don't you?" Alice smirked.

"Yes...yes I-I do..." Jay blushed, her focus returning to the match.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu stared down a now smirking Skyla. Up until a few minutes ago she seemed worried. But now that her ace was on the field, she was pretty much ready for anything as far as she was concerned.

"Rufflet, Tailwind!"

"Swanna, Scald!"

Rufflet flapped his wings furiously as Swanna reared her head back. The moment she fired off the scald, he barely caught the Tailwind as the blast passed him by. He avoided a second oncoming scald before diving towards Swanna.

"Aerial Ace!"

Rufflet raced down towards Swanna who seemed to be content hovering where she was. Did she plan to take the attack head on? That wouldn't be the wisest thing to do as far as he was concerned. Skyla hadn't even ordered Swanna to attack. A smirk crossed her features as she looked up at Rufflet who was closing in and fast.

"Scald!"

And there it was. A smoldering hot torrent of water burst forth from Swanna's bill, scoring a direct hit on Rufflet who was indeed burned. His feathers were singed, as was the rest of him. His power was now cut directly in half which was NOT good.

"Finish it up with one more scald!"

"Get out of there Rufflet!"

It was no good. Rufflet's wings were too wet. He couldn't take flight fast enough. A heavy blast of water hammered into his back with brutal force. The tiny bird was slammed into the arena floor and pinned there under the force of the attack. When it all cleared up, Rufflet was found, sopping wet and unable to continue.

"Rufflet is unable to battle! Swanna wins!" The referee called out.

"Well, it looks like you're down to two options. And I think I've worked out a way to get around your Azumarill. I've seen through your attack strategies...they won't work on Swanna. Sorry to say this but it's looking pretty grim for you right now..." Skyla smirked.

"You think so?" Katsu chuckled, returning Rufflet to his ball.

"I know so. Rufflet's main focus was using the speed from the Tailwind to make the impact he made more powerful when he used his physical attacks. Liepard relied on striking from the shadows so to prevent that, I had Swanna use a faster Scald to catch her before she could go anywhere. And as for your Azumarill...the flaw is that while he is able to bounce up towards Swanna...he can easily be thrown off course in the state that he would be in during the Aqua Jet. Your best bet is probably whatever you have left...but I will probably work out a way to counter that too..."

"Impressive, so you were able to see through that huh? That's pretty neat. Now...here's something you won't see through...Tini, come on out girl!"

Katsu fired Tini's ball onto the field and out popped the serpentine Pokemon. Her head turned around to look at Katsu, and then at Jay.

 _'Hi papa...I guess...it's my turn huh?'_

 _'Yes...it's your first match so don't worry about the result, just do like we practiced and everything will be fine...you can trust me...'_ Katsu smiled.

"A Dratini huh? Wow...it's been so long since I've heard of anyone having that Pokemon. First a shiny Rufflet, now this. You've got some amazing luck Katsu..."

Hugh muttered something unintelligable under his breath.

"Thanks, a lot of people seem to think that. I'm starting to believe they're right..." Katsu laughed.

"Shall we continue out fight Katsu? I'm interested to see what this Dratini of yours can do..."

"Alright...then let's get to it!"

"Swanna, use Brave Bird!"

"Tini, use Thunderwave on yourself!"

This command confused just about everyone in the room. Why would Katsu voluntarily hinder his own Pokemon? Even Skyla looked confused. Tini jolted herself with electricity which paralyzed her. At that moment, her body began to glow brightly with golden energy which hardened her skin. As she did this, she craned her body and took the Brave Bird head on, skidding back several feet but not faltering much more than that. Swanna flew around and flapped her wings, sparks from the recoil coming off of her as she looked down at the Dratini.

"I don't see what the point of paralyzing your own Pokemon is...are you trying to throw the match?"

"Nope...take a look..." Katsu smirked.

Tini was upright as she normally was and there were no signs of paralysis whatsoever. A layer of skin was beside her however, and that had sparks crackling from it.

"You have got to be-"

"Dragon Dance!"

This caused Skyla to snap her head towards the Dratini. Almost everyone did as Tini's body erupted with crimson and violet energies. She began to sway to and fro as the power gathered into her frame. Her speed and power had just increased dramatically.

"Swanna, use Hurricane!"

"Extreme Speed!"

Rufflet's Tailwind was still in effect which made things several times worse for Swanna. Tini uncoiled and practically teleported from view, _completely._ Within an instant, she reappeared and slammed her tail _hard_ into Swanna, swatting the airborne swan towards the ground. Swanna spiraled downwards into a tailspin, her mind rather dazed from the heavy blow.

"Swanna! Pull up and use Roost! Then use scald!"

"Use Extreme Speed to dodge and use Dragon Dance again!"

Swanna began gathering in healing energies as after she had pulled back into the air. She did _not_ want to get too close to that Dratini again. She soon fired off a full force scald in attempts to disrupt the plans, however Tini proved to be quite a bit faster and once again avoided the attack. She turned right around and powered up once more, her body glowing with crimson and violet aura. The dance became faster at this point.

"Swanna! Brave Bird, let's try to wrap this up!"

"Dragon Rush!"

Every eye in the room practically popped at this. Swanna's body glowed with a bright blue aura as she charged downward towards Tini. The dragon soon vanished in a bright flash of light that rushed towards Swanna, taking the form of a long flaming serpentine dragon whose mouth opened up and clamped down upon Swanna. A loud BANG resulted, creating an explosion that shook the very foundation of the arena. A loud _thud_ was heard through the smoke as the light from the explosion faded.

Tini slithered over towards Katsu,visually exhausted from the fight.

 _'Did...did I do good, papa?'_

Katsu didn't know what to say. She had done more than good. WAY more than good in his eyes. Skyla blinked in astonishment at the little dragon. A thought soon dawned on her that Katsu was the winner of the World Tournament that happened recently. At the end of it there was a grand prize given. She glanced over at the ruby ring and then at the Dratini. There was mention of an egg being the top prize. And the moves that Dratini knew were definitely ones that were bred into her.

"Swanna is unable to battle! Dratini wins and the match goes to Katsu Aiko!" The referee announced.

"That was some fight Katsu. You really brought it. And you were right, I was not expecting your Dratini to be that strong. She is incedible," Skyla laughed softly as she fished into her pocket for a badge.

"Here you go, it's the Jet Badge! You've earned it Katsu!" Skyla announced with a grin. Katsu couldn't help but smile as he received it.

 _"We_ earned it. My team and I. And thanks Skyla...that was an amazing battle."

"Not a problem Katsu, I was feeling a rush from start to finish. I can't wait to see what you will do later on down the road!" Skyla laughed.

"We'll see...right now, I think I'll just focus on one day at a time...with everyone here..." Katsu smiled.

Katsu looked back at Jay who was grinning from ear to ear. Happiness was evident on her features. She raced over to him and hugged him tightly after the match. She then knelt down and wrapped her arms around Tini.

 _'You did so well! That was amazing Tini!'_

 _'Th-thank you momma...papa said I would be fine, he's a good trainer...'_

 _'Well, he does know what he's doing. He has a lot of crazy ideas...but they all work...'_ Jay giggled.

Jay smiled softly and released Tini, standing up to look at Katsu. Everyone seemed to notice how much she had changed since the morning. The moment Katsu declared that his feelings were the same, it was as if she had begun a transformation. Gen and Dusk noticed this as well. The ghost trio were all _very_ proud of Jay.

 _'So...it looks like those two are a thing now huh?'_

 _'Indeed...I wonder how our masters are going to react...'_

 _'Eh, don't sweat it Dusk. Yours will be his usual self and mine will remind him that Jay is a grown young woman and can take care of herself like she always tells him...the story with those two won't ever change...'_

 _'Yes...that is true. But there is one thing that bothers me...'_

 _'What's that?'_

 _'What will happen once Jay is able to defend herself...without us?'_

 _'I...I hadn't thought of that Dusk...I'm sure we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, right now, let's just enjoy the time we have with her...'_

 _'You're right Gen, sorry...the thought just crossed my mind is all..'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu had just received his Pokemon back from the nurse when everyone had gone to bed. Everyone...save for Jay that is. She was sitting in the main lobby waiting for Katsu.

"Well, it's been a long day. I can't remember the last time I felt so tired..." Katsu sighed softly as he sat down next to Jay.

"Well...you did train the entire day with Tini and your team...I knew you would wear yourself out but you insisted on continuing..." Jay sniggered.

"It paid off didn't it? The match went as I'd hoped. Well...partially anyway. That Swanna was rather troublesome..." Katsu chuckled.

Jay decided to crawl into his lap and drape her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek softly in the process.

"Indeed, but you won. And that's all that matters in the end, right?"

"I suppose...and even if I didn't win...I would have still had fun. Skyla was tough. I'm glad I won though, I would have been too tired to try a second time that day..." Katsu chuckled.

"Yeah, I could tell you were really trying to end it quick so you could get some rest. Normally you don't make abrupt switches like that, but your strategy worked. I'm so happy right now...and I'm also very sleepy..."

"Me too...we should probably get some rest..."

"But I..."

"Yes?"

"I don't really want too leave your arms Katsu..."

Katsu blinked at this statement. She was blushing like usual after she'd said it and was looking away nervously. A soft smile crossed his features as he kept her steady while he stood up. He cradled her bridal style which made her blush even more and bury her face in his chest.

"I guess I'll give you a lift..."

"I-I...thanks Katsu..." Jay stuttered, looking back up into his sapphire irises.

"Not a problem Jay," Katsu smiled softly.

Katsu carried Jay up the stairs and down the hall to the room that she assigned herself for the night. Oddly enough, it was right next to his this time. She sortof probed his mind to figure it out so she could be next to him. It wasn't quite being in the same room, but it was close enough. Katsu set her down and the two looked at one another for quite a while. Jay stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck as she smiled up into his eyes. He smiled back and the two closed the distance, sweeping themselves away in a moment of sheer bliss. The kiss lasted longer than the previous ones and both parties were rather reluctant to let go, but they had to.

They slowly pulled apart, she lightly teased the bottom of his lip as if trying to latch back on before letting go.

"Well...goodnight, Jay..." Katsu smiled.

"Goodnight...Katsu...I-I love you..." she replied.

"I love you too...Jay..."

 **And that wraps up this chapter! The gym battle comes to a close! So, what did everyone think? Quite an interesting way of using a Dratini huh? Also, yes...he is going to have those abilities up until he becomes Dragonite as I have said before. Also, our favorite little shiny friend is getting closer to evolving into that awesome eagle! If you're following his move pool you'll notice he's not too far from his goal. And also, we now have Azumarill! Interesting way to evolve huh? That's what one gets for not thinking to ask the gender...heh. Anyway, the next chapter will come out soon! Stay tuned for more of Icy Wrath!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Good Evening! It appears I got a bit distracted today and didn't post my usual morning chapter. I guess that's what happens sometimes. Anyway, how was the last chapter for everyone? Badge six is secured and now? Well, you'll find out. It's back to Pokestar Studios! Another movie is coming up and it looks like Katsu is being asked to star in the same role in the movie The Aura League! Alice will also be staring in it as well. Let's see what happens! Everybody ready? Good, because it took me a while to figure out what to do for the next chapter. I hate writers block! Anyway, let's get to it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 31: Back To Pokestar Studios!**

Katsu was sleeping rather soundly that morning. Liepard was on the floor with Riolu leaning against her. Tini was curled around the two while Rufflet remained in his usual spot. Darumaka was back leaning against Katsu's side to keep him warm. Azumarill was also sleeping rather soundly on the floor next to Liepard. They were all one big happily dysfunctional family. As the clock struck nine in the morning, his XTransceiver went off. Grumbling to himself, he reached over and picked it up to see what it was.

There was a message for him left by Mr. Stu Deeoh. What could he want? He blinked as he read the message on his XTransceiver.

 _'Katsu Aiko,_

 _We have worked tirelessly to finish the script to our new film The Aura League. As one of the heroes of said Aura League, we would love it if you could make your way back here as swiftly as possible. Hopefully this does not inconvenience you in any way, but there are rewards in it for you. Also, the money that was made from your film was stupendous! Your share is waiting for you upon your return to Virbank. I will have Fredrick greet you. I have already informed Alice of this as well. She too plays a valuable role in this film. I was also wondering if perhaps your other lady friend would be interested in undertaking this project with us. Feel free to sort out the details along the way. We look forward to your return._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Stu Deeoh_

 _P.S. Your mother wishes to know how things are. Perhaps you should call her?_

Katsu sighed as he looked down at the message. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he read the part about asking Jay if she'd like to star. It sounded like fun now that he thought of it. Jay was already more confident than she was before, this would be a good opportunity for her to grow it even more. Katsu decided to get out of bed and shower. He was going to have to figure out a way to get from Mistralton City to Virbank. And then...it dawned on him, DUH! The city's Gym Leader was a _pilot._ That would cut the time they needed to get there considerably. It was too perfect. He'd need to ask Skyla about it though. Stripping down, he quickly dashed into the bathroom for a shower.

 **X-X-X**

Jay was wide awake, stroking Zor's fur as she had already gotten herself ready for the day. Gen and Dusk could see a very happy smile upon her features which was good to see. She was even humming to herself. For once, she didn't wake up wondering why she existed. They both discreetly fist bumped...if ghosts can even do that.

 _'So, those two are a thing now...I'd say mission accomplished eh Dusk?'_

 _'Indeed...she seems incredibly happy. It's been a while since I've heard her humming to herself. That says it all right there, our Jay is in love with Katsu, probably moreso than you or I thought possible...'_

 _'So...do you think they'll ever-'_

 _'Gen...no...'_

 _'What? I was just going to ask if they were gonna-'_

 _'No.'_

 _'Get hitched!'_ Gen clasped his hands over his mouth as he looked over at Jay, hoping she didn't hear him.

Fortunately, her headphones were in and she had the music up. Dusks eyes widened a bit. He glanced over at Jay and then back to Gen. Had he said something that wasn't alluding to the birds and the bees? Now that Dusk thought of it, that would actually make for an interesting situation. He and Gen exchanged knowing glances. Rif observed the two and simply chuckled to himself. He knew what might result from their thought process.

 _'Gen...that should be something that Katsu decides and a decision that Jay makes. Who knows how long they will last...but I wouldn't be surprised if he asked her sometime later in their journey.'_

 _'True, so...what do you think the ring will be? diamonds or pearls?'_

 _'Hmmm...diamonds might be excessive...pearls might be nice. Maybe he'll get her platinum. wouldn't that be something!'_

 _'Maybe Dusk, but for now, let's see what happens...'_

 _'I agree Gen, I agree...'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu breathed in deeply as he looked down at his XTransceiver. He'd just finished getting dressed and he needed to tell the others that he was going to be headed back to Pokewood. It wouldn't be for too long right? Just a movie shoot and possibly spending a few days in the city before heading back out. He was about to start calling when his device began to ring. It was Alice. He picked it up and her face popped up.

"Hey, what's up Alice?"

"Well, Katsu, it looks like we've got a movie to shoot. Mr. Stu Deeoh sent me a message earlier, I assume you got it too?"

"Yeah, He sent me one. He even wants me to ask Jay to star in it too."

"Oh that would be splendid! Not only have the two of you made it official, but now you'll be known as a rather popular couple, isn't that exciting?"

"I guess...I'm just curious as to why they are asking me back. Then again...the ending of the first movie alluded to their being another one. It sure took them a while to write everything out. I wonder how it will turn out..."

"Well, if you're acting in it alongside me and Jay, I'm sure it will be fine. It's going to be one heck of a ride. Daddy let me get a sneak peak at the trailer they did."

"Wait...when did they do a trailer, I wasn't even there..."

"Ah, but you were. Remember the extra footage they captured? The one where you dove off a building and started running down it alongside the green-screened Lucario?"

"Ah...yes...I remember that one. I actually ran down the wall and they added in the visuals. So that's part of it? Neat..."

"Mhm...they pretty much made it a point to have you do that so you'd have to come back and finish. There's no way they'd be able to find someone that can play the part as well as you can Katsu."

"I see...so that was basically their subtle way of luring me back...clever. The sad thing is, it worked. I actually want to see how this will turn out. Alright, I'm going to send a message to Mr. Stu Deeoh _after_ I talk to Jay."

"Sounds good to me Katsu. Oh! I almost forgot. Hugh wanted me to inform you that he was going to seclude himself for a while and train. He's gone into the Chargestone Cave to do some training on his own. Also, Goken and Maikeru have decided to do the same. They figured after the previous run in with the Duskbringers of Team Plasma...they had better be prepared."

"You have no idea how convenient that is right now...I was about to call up every one of them and let them know the plan...well, that simplifies things. Now I just need to convince Jay to do this and we're set."

"Also, we need to speak to Skyla. Perhaps she can fly us in to Virbank?"

"I already planned on asking that Katsu. I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing that at all," Alice chuckled.

"Sweet, well...I'm going to speak to Jay, I'll call you when I'm done."

"Sounds good, talk to you soon Katsu. Bye."

 _Click..._

"Well...this is going to be interesting..."

Katsu blinked as he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and then felt a weight on his shoulders. It was Riolu. A soft smile crossed his features as he looked at his friend. Rufflet claimed the usual right shoulder and sadly, Azumarill could no longer claim the head spot, he was a bit bigger now.

 _'I take it you heard?'_

 _'Yep! We get to go back and star in another film. I must admit, I had a lot of fun in the first one.'_

 _'Me too Riolu, this one has me curious...'_

 _'So, are we going to go get Jay?'_

 _'Yep...'_ Katsu said as he turned and returned the rest of his Pokemon, save for Riolu and Rufflet who wanted shoulder rides. Katsu made his way down to Jay's room.

Katsu stood outside of Jay's door and knocked. Wondering if she would even hear him. Usually she would have her headphones in at this time since he found she'd liked to listen to music when she woke up. At this point, the door opened on its own, _somehow,_ and Jay came flying out of the doorway towards him. _This_ time, however, Katsu was ready for her and braced himself, catching her. Jay blinked as she found herself in Katsu's arms and then looked up at him, smiling rather nervously.

"Uh...hi...love..." Jay said with a soft blush.

"This feels familiar..." Katsu chuckled, glancing over at Gen who was grinning to himself.

"Yes...it does, except...it's missing something..." Jay smirked, activating her Psychic powers, ever so slightly so that the two of them could be thrown off balance.

Katsu and Jay both fell backwards, Rufflet flying off while Riolu landed beside them with Jay sitting on his chest, going into a giggle-fit at what she'd just done. She seemed to be managing to concentrate on her abilities more, which was a good thing to see. Katsu couldn't help but smile up at her as she looked down into his deep sapphire hues. She leaned down and gave him a kiss good morning. She held it for a while before slowly pulling away, a faint blush on her visage as she did so.

"Well, good morning to you too..." Katsu chuckled.

"Morning, and sorry about that. I kinda wanted a redo of the first time Gen literally threw me out the door at you. Since he decided to do it again I figured I'd take the opportunity..." Jay sniggered.

"Well, I'm glad you did. It woke me up a bit more."

"Good. So, what's up?" Jay inquired, folding her arms on his chest and placing her chin between them as she looked at him.

"Well...it looks like we're going to be doubling back quite a ways and heading back to Virbank City."

"Why?" Jay blinked, not sure where this was going.

"Remember how I liked doing the movie I was in?"

"Yeah, I remember that...it was fun to watch you and Riolu up there..."

"Well, they want me back. Alice and I are going and well...they also want to know something else..." Katsu said with a soft smile.

Jay slightly panicked a little. Would she not be able to see Katsu for a while. They had _just_ gotten together.

"What do they want to know?" Jay asked worriedly.

"If...if you'll be in it with me..." Katsu finished.

Jay blinked. They wanted _her_ up on the big screen? As if she wasn't already on national television from the performance she'd put on at the World Tournament, now she was wanted on the big screen? That was new. _Very_ new. She'd never really done anything like that before. Then again...she would actually get to be _with_ Katsu instead of just watching him work. Normally, she'd be too shy to do any of that. But now that she had Katsu by her side and was, as far as she knew, his, she would give it a try. With a deep breath, she looked at him and nodded, standing up so he could as well.

"I'll do it...I'll probably get nervous as all get-out but...I'll do it. If it means I get to be with you...then count me in..."

Relieved, Katsu pulled her into a hug and then glanced over at Gen, Zor, Dusk and Rif. They all seemed very excited. He also noticed Excadrill had popped out of his ball and was quite happy about the situation as well. He was fascinated by humans and was looking forward to this venture. Albeit his temporary companions were slightly...odd, he had learned to get along with them. He was fine with Katsu letting Jay hang onto him for a while. At least he didn't have to sit in a PC. No Pokemon liked that.

"I'm happy to hear that Jay...now, there's one other matter we need to take care of. We'll need to get everything ready so we can head out. I'm going to see if Skyla will let us-"

"Already took care of it," Alice interjected as she came into the hallway.

"Well, that saves us time. When is the soonest we can head out?"

"In about ten minutes if you guys can get ready that fast," Alice grinned.

"Well...I've got everything I need. Jay? Got any thing you need help packing?"

"Not really...everything's in my pack so I don't think I have anything left to get ready," Jay stated.

"Well...what are we waiting for? Let's get going shall we?" Alice giggled.

"Right," Katsu and Jay replied in unison.

 **X-X-X**

The flight took them roughly two hours. The plane touched down just outside of Virbank City limits and then Skyla took it somewhere she could leave it. After that, she met up with the group and the four of them headed into Pokewood. The four of them soon met face to face with Fredrick who was beaming ear to ear beside Mr. Stu Deeoh.

"Welcome back! It's so good to see you Katsu, Miss Eleanora, and Jay was it? And...oh my, if it isn't the lovely Skyla herself? Your presence is most welcomed," Fredrick said with a bright smile.

"Thank you, that's very nice of you to say," Skyla laughed.

"Well, I assume since you're all here, you received the message. The production we desire to put on is already growing as popular as Riolu Man was when they, our audience, anticipated its arrival. Then of course...as you all know, disappointment followed but redemption came in the form of you Katsu," Stu Deeoh beamed.

Katsu rubbed the back of his neck and smiled lightly. He didn't feel as though it were that big of a deal. That was...until he saw he had a fan page which he had discovered while checking his mail. Yes...he had about as many fan-girls as Alice had fan-boys. It was quite unnerving. He was thankful when he saw a few diehard male Riolu fans. He already saw Jay get jealous, but barely, at the World Tournament. He had to admit, it was kinda funny. She was cute when she was that way.

"So, are we able to look at the script? I'm dying to know more of what's in store!" Alice chirped.

This was where Alice really came to life, aside from on the battlefield. She, in her heart, truly believed she was destined for stardom. She had her sixth badge under her belt now and had only two more to go just like the rest of them, save for Jay, she wasn't taking the challenge. At the time, her confidence was getting in the way and while she knew she was a good battler, she wasn't very good with people...and then along came Katsu. And now the world practically knew how she felt about him.

"But of course Alice! If you will follow me to the studio, we will get you all set up and ready. Your scripts should have already been distributed to your email by now. Check and see," Fredrick stated.

Sure enough, Katsu and Alice checked their inboxes and they were there. Jay's script was in Katsu's inbox. He forwarded it to hers so she could have it.

"Now that we've got that sorted out, shall we get to the next part? Oh Jennifer Dahling!" Stu Deeoh called.

Katsu's mother came out of the woodwork at the call of her name.

"What is it Mr. Stu De-KATSU!" Jennifer shouted, running in to hug her son.

"Hey mom, I'm back," Katsu laughed, hugging his mother tightly.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you honey! I was watching the World Tournament when you won it. You did so well!" Jennifer beamed, kissing her son on the forehead before releasing him.

"And I see Jay is here too, I'm guessing she agreed to play the role in the film?"

"She did mom...and there's something else too...Katsu smiled, reaching for Jay's hand who gladly took his, intertwining her fingers with his own.

Jennifer blinked. Alice giggled to herself as she saw the look on Jennifer's face. She purposely hadn't told her yet just for this moment. All was silent. And then...

"WHEN?!" Jennifer burst out, looking over at Alice who was sniggering.

"When did this happen Katsu? Alice, why didn't you tell meeeeee?!" Jennifer whined.

"I was going to before we arrived, but I figured it was better that Katsu tell you himself. Or, show you...rather..." Alice chuckled.

"Well, I'll be...I'm proud of you son. I knew it was only a matter of time before the two of you became an item," Jennifer winked.

"You knew this would happen the whole time, didn't you..." Katsu stated, looking at his mother suspiciously as she giggled.

"I'm your _mother_ Katsu. It's my job to know these things. I'm just overly excited about it. I know my handsome little man would find his heart stolen by such a lovely young lady. You know, I had to admit, I almost thought it would be Alice..." Jennifer stated, tapping her chin in rememberence.

"Heh...Katsu and I are more like siblings than anything else Jennifer. Anyone could see that," Alice chuckled.

 _'Looks like her and I had the same idea...how funny...'_ Katsu thought, remembering his conversation with Riolu about friendzoning her.

"Well, regardless, this is just marvelous. I think the two of you are going to do an amazing job with this movie. And I already know Alice will do fantastic as usual. Now...let me show you the constumes I designed. With a little help from a talented fashion designer, and model, namely Elesa, I managed to pull together what I will show you in a moment," Jennifer stated, beckoning them to follow her.

 **X-X-X**

Jay's jaw dropped at the sight of what she'd be wearing. The sleek black and violet design was _gorgeous._ It accented _every_ curve on her frame perfectly from what she could tell and she hadn't even tried it on yet. It had a hood, it had a cloak, and on top of that...her villain name was even more fitting. Banshee.

"So...I'm playing a super villain? This is going to be...interesting...but WOW! That design is AMAZING!" Jay exclaimed.

"I'm so glad you think so Jay! I put a lot of hard work into this. When I learned you liked Ghost-type Pokemon I just _had_ to design this. Oh, and to top it all off, and you didn't hear this from me...the director wanted to surprise you...you'll be working with a Bannette!" Jennifer whisper-shouted.

Jay nearly squeeled, if one can imagine the cuteness of it all, with excitement. She _loved_ working with Ghost-types. And playing a super villain with a Ghost-type as her partner was going to be EPIC.

"I rather love the outfit I have myself. Playing the part of the Lieutenant of the Aura League is going to be rather interesting...my partner happens to be a Magnezone...interesting. Either way, it's going to be fun!" Alice exclaimed.

"I am actually excited about this...according to the script...Jay and I are going to have quite a few scenes together...I look forward to this. The dialogue here...just...wow..." Katsu said with a soft blush.

"Yes, they really went all out on this one. By the way Katsu, your movie is actually one of a series that was already released. Yours was the last one as far as the individual introductions go."

"I see, so now the movies will be based on the Aura League huh? Intriguing. Well, Riolu and I are ready for this. And it looks like Brycen is in it as well. Considering he's one of the main villains in this...but apparently he's not the _main_ focus of it," Katsu chuckled, looking over at Jay who was reading over the script.

"Yep, this is going to be a bit of a forbidden romance sort of movie. It's going to be pretty deep by the looks of things...oh my..." Alice stated to herself, stopping to look at some of the lines as she read further along.

"I seriously think they outdid themselves with this. Guess who's been flown in to star as the hero representing the dragon types?"

"Don't tell me..."

"Yep, Cynthia...and you'll never guess who's starring with her..." Alice giggled.

As some probably would have guessed, Alice is a HUGE champion buff. She admired their skill and secretly sought to be a champion herself at some point. She worked hard to get to the point she was already. And now, a champion she highly admired, was making an appearance in the film. How they managed to pull this one off was beyond her. She didn't even know Cynthia would be interested.

"I'd like to know how they even got her to come," Katsu blinked.

"Me too, they pulled out all the stops on this one," Alice replied.

"But, I think she was mainly impressed with the movie you were in Katsu which _doesn't_ happen often. This is Cynthia we're talking about here."

Jay remained silent, trying to figure out ways to not embarrass herself around a champion like Cynthia. She'd heard of her and was told a bit more about her from Goken. If she remembered correctly, he was from Sinnoh. He'd seen her battle and the stories he told made her shiver. She could take down entire teams with her Garchomp and on top of that practically flattened the Elite Four _on her own._ She was amazing...and yet scary.

"So...did anyone say when she'd arrive?"

"It's supposed to be tonight. Her flight had several connections so she'll be delayed a bit, but at least she'll have time to look over everything..." Alice smiled.

"All I can say is...if they really wanted people to flock to the theatres...they most certainly did the right thing. I mean...I still don't know how they did it," Katsu blinked.

"Eh, you'd be surprised at how persuasive Mr. Stu Deeoh can be. He knows how to deal with people and also how to rope them in. It worked on you right?" Alice giggled.

"Hey, that was a legitimate reason, the first movie did need work..." Katsu defended.

"And because it needed so much work, the scout found you and reeled you in. You like helping people, he could see that, therefore it worked. I just wanna know how he got Cynthia, but that's a question for later. We all have lines to go over.." Alice snickered.

"Right...hey, Jay?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Let's work on the lines from our first scene together, I think I've got them...I just need to make sure though..." Katsu smiled.

"Uh, yeah! Sure!" Jay chirped, getting her script out so she could go over her lines as well.

Skyla had wandered outside the studio for a bit that evening. Her eyes soon caught sight of a tall, slender, blond woman garbed from the neck down in black. Penetrating gray irises stared back at the aerial Gym Leader with vivid intensity. Her cloak billowed in the wind as she walked with dignity towards Skyla.

"Evening...this is Pokestar Studios right?"

 **And that's a wrap! I know, it's rather short. But that's because the actual movie itself is going to be a bit longer and a two step so I wanted to have as much time as possible to prepare it! So be on the lookout for it tomorrow. That's right! Katsu and Jay get to act together! This is going to be fun. And look who's there! Cynthia has arrived. It can't possibly get any better now can it?! Find out what happens next time on Icy Wrath!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Good morning everyone! It's that time of the morning! That's right. It's time for another chapter of Icy Wrath! How is everyone feeling today? I'm up early to bring you the latest content on this little gem of mine. Those of you tuning in, thank you so much for the views and reviews! I'm up to 4.8k views and it's steadily going up! I'm super excited! Ahhhhh! Anyway, yes, views and reviews get me pumped. It helps me to improve my writing by knowing what you all think. Anyway, so yeah, I did a lot of thinking last night and I do hope you like the movie that I came up with. Once again, completely deviating from the game here. I also hope you're all excited to see what Cynthia will be doing in this chapter. Hold on to your hats folks, it's gonna be a wild ride! BANZAI!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 32: The Aura League, Allure of Banshee, Part One**

"My name? Is that all you wish to know? Why should I tell you that? How about we do things my way? If you're feeling brave...why don't you try and catch me? If you think you can that is. You see, I don't like making things easy. Death seems to follow me around like some lost lovesick puppy. If you're really so focused on finding out who I am then come after me...I dare you. So tell me..." The feminine voice echoed off the screen of the packed movie theatre.

"Are you man enough?"

The screen went black as a ghostly aura shot across the screen and a haunting sensual laugh could be heard as the intro music began to play. Roxie's band had been working on an especially haunting tune and this made the audience shiver from the very start with anticipation. Some were even a bit frightened, but they were excited nonetheless. The title began to come into play as the words rotated around the screen, arcing at a diagonal before straightening out. The silver words 'The Aura League' were scrunched up for effect while the words 'Allure of Banshee' was a bit thicker and wider but with the same effect. The silhouette of a Bannette shot across the screen, her haunting whispers filling the air as the opening scene came into play.

The shot opened up on Cynthia who played the role of one of the Chief in Command of the Aura League. She was a hero in her own right and went by the name of Kisara Fumiko. Standing by her side was an all too familiar dragon, her Garchomp. She was talking to a man on the other side who had a rather gruff sounding voice. In her hand was a very strange item that had been brought on board via the transfer chamber. There was only one of them it seemed.

"And what is this called again?" Kisara inquired firmly, looking back up at the man on the screen. He was balding, and a little heavyset wearing a military uniform that had several badges on it.

"It's called a Mega Stone. We recently discovered their existence on a whim. Some of our forces were stationed in Kalos at the time and Shalour City happened to be one of them."

"Shalour City you say? Can't say I've heard much about it...so, you're certain that this will help us out? You know how I am about these things Jericho," Kisara muttered.

"I'm positive, the man we got it from said that it was the real deal. He tested one out on a Lucario he had on his possession and the effects were extraordinary. Here...take a look at these statistical changes just from the stone's usage," Jericho stated.

There was a rapid succession of screens, followed by a model of a normal Lucario. The regular stats were shown and then something critical happened. The model began to change once a few other commands were entered and the change was _very_ obvious. The model grew a bit in height, and its stats were ramped up exponentially. Kisara almost dropped the stone as her mouth fell open. She sputtered a bit, something that _didn't_ happen often. The head of the Aura League often teased her about how cute it was when she did that...and she hated it.

"Well I'll be...THAT is impressive. Well done Jericho. I'm assuming this stone here is for the new recruit we recently picked up, correct?"

"Indeed it is. And also...the ring. It is necessary in order for the stone to work. That's what I've been told anyway...I do hope you find this satisfactory Kisara..."

"That doesn't begin to cover it Jericho. Let me know if you ever come across more of these...perhaps Garchomp here might have one..." Kisara remarked.

"I will keep you posted. For now, I have other matters that need tending to. Over and out."

The screen winked out as Kisara looked down at the stone and ring in her hand. This would be quite a valuable asset to the team. And it came at a prominent time too. She decided she would go and see the boy in person. Very few ever got the chance to talk with Kisara due to her high ranking and social status. She always had some authority figure around her and was accompanied by a few guards at all times. Not that she needed them. She just did it because it made the enemy think that she did. Several bone chilling stories were spread about her ferocity on the battle field. The draconic aura she possessed was unlike any other.

"I wonder what the boy is up to..."

 **X-X-X**

The screen faded and a new scene opened up on Katsu, or Hikaru as his movie name suggested. He was inside the Cafe Sonata playing some smooth jazz on his sax. The audience seemed rather captivated by the music he was producing. Each note was carefully played and flowed smoothly. The doors to the Cafe popped open and in walked Kisara. She'd heard that Hikaru would be playing that evening and decided to slip into a more formal gown. Her cold gray eyes stared at the performer and a warm smile lit up her usual stoic features.

 _'This kid...'_ She thought to herself as she made her way through the Cafe to a seat at a table in the front.

Surprisingly it was open. Hikaru had been drawing in crowds quite a bit in this quaint little place. She listened to him expertly play with an amused look on her visage. This was one of those rare moments where Kisara actually smiled. She was a beautiful woman that others thought should smile more often. She had to admit, Hikaru certainly made her do that. He was such an odd kid. The twenty-eight year old Chief in Command waited eagerly for him to finish his song. According to the schedule, he was due to end the show in the next five minutes. The time passed as the song came to a close.

The crowd clapped for him and he stood up, taking a humble bow before glancing over at the closest table to him. He was a little surprised to see Kisara as she never really came to his performances. But there she was, sitting there listening. He felt honored. As people began going back to their conversations at their tables, Hikaru packed up his sax and stepped down from the platform. Whatever the reason for Kisara's presence, it must have been important.

"Well, that was certainly impressive Hikaru. I may have to come to these more often..." Kisara smirked.

"Thanks...I-I wasn't expecting to see you here. What's the occasion?"

"Perceptive as always aren't you my little protege?" Kisara chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound disrespectful..."

"You weren't. Not to worry. In any case, have a seat...there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, but first...I need something to drink..."

 **X-X-X**

"My liege...Banshee is here to see you..."

A twisted grin appeared on the face of Brycen Man as he turned to the doors, watching them open to reveal Banshee. She wore a hooded cloak that veiled her features. A mask was placed over her eyes in the case that the hood might fall off. She was garbed in a purple and black assassin-like outfit beneath. The front of the cloak covered part of her front. Black stockings covered her slender yet muscular legs. Black combat boots were also seen with violet laces on them.

"Welcome...Banshee..."

"Thank you...Brycen Man..." Banshee's alluring voice echoed, sending shivers through the men of the room.

Her mere presence was intimidating, even to Brycen Man. He was always _very_ wary around her. She was one that none would ever wish to meet in a dark alley. The cries from her victims were terrifying, even when he heard of her deeds. She made him look mild by comparison. Banshee lifted her hood, revealing her soft, brown touchable tresses that shimmered in the lighting of the room. She had them pulled back rather tightly so as not to have them sticking out. Her gold and silver eyes flashed out at the men, causing them to look away to avoid her captivating gaze.

Beside her, floated a Banette who was a terrifying creature in her own right. Around her neck was a necklace that had a peculiar stone inside of it. On Bansee's arm, a smaller stone was embedded into one of her spiked wristbands. She too, had come into the possession of a Mega Stone.

"So...this is what it looks like huh? Interesting. You told me that when you used it on Banette her power increased several times more than usual?"

"It is as you say...the power she collected from her transformation was more than adequate. Those pathetic trainers I disposed of were laughable challenges...it's too bad they had no chance...I was hoping to have some fun..."

"I'm sorry to hear they were a disappointment...but perhaps I can interest you in something else, Banshee?"

"What is it? If it's another boring mission like the last one, I think I'll pass..."

"Oh...but what if I told you it had something to do with that blasted Aura League?"

"I'm listening..." Banshee stated with a smirk.

"Very well Nyx...I mean...sorry, I know you don't usually like me tossing your name around," Brycen Man stated as he cleared his throat.

"It's fine...continue."

"As you very well know, several months ago I was defeated and badly wounded, as you can see I have to wear this patch. And my right arm was severed so it's now mechanical, as is my left foot. I've suffered greatly from that loss and on top of that the ship that I had before this one was blown to bits! And it was all because of that boy..."

"Ah...the fabled Riolu Boy huh?"

"The very same...only his Riolu is now a Lucario...which was half the reason I was utterly defeated. The strange thing was, HE transformed as well. I must admit, I was shocked. And that is something that _doesn't_ usually happen. But he managed that much. But during my reconstruction I have become much stronger. The next time we meet...it will be to his demise..." Brycen Man grinned darkly.

"So...now that you've got my attention and interest...what would you have me do?"

"I want you to break him. Lure him out...and then do as you like. You know I have no restrictions with you..."

"That's because you didn't set any...I've never been one for beating around the bush...so, how do I draw out this Lucario _boy_?" She inquired.

"Do not take him lightly Banshee...I can hear it in your tone..."

"Trust me...I won't. I just find it funny that you were defeated by a mere boy...but if he's that good, this will be even more fun than I thought..." Banshee grinned.

"Very well...let me show you a visual of what he looks like..." Brycen man stated as he pulled up a hologram of Lucario Boy.

"Well...he most certainly is cute...and that physique...oh dear...my apolgies Brycen Man...but when you said you wished me to go after him, you didn't mention this..." Banshee smirked.

"That's because I know you...now pay attention. This is what his face looks like. I wasn't able to see him out of uniform but it doesn't look like he wears a full face mask. We've been trying to figure out what he might look like for several months..." Brycen Man sighed.

"Hmmm...Brycen Man? May I see the computer for a second?"

"Uh...sure..."

"Thank you..."

Banshee hopped in front of the computer that projected the hologram and began typing away commands. She pulled up a screen of a young boy with long brown hair and sapphire irises and a face that practically matched Lucario Boy's. A satisfied smirk crossed her features as the two holograms stood side by side.

"This is-how did you?"

"He's a boy who plays the sax at a local cafe in town. He recently performed and has his own page with all of his original music. You might say I listen to it from time to time. But that's a story for another day...take a look at the similarities. The broad shoulders, the concentration in his eyes, the _hair,_ " Banshee went on, giggling softly to herself.

"Sometimes when I see that hair, I secretly want to pet it. But that's beside the point...they are strikingly similar and I wouldn't be surprised if that was who Lucario Boy was beneath the uniform," Banshee sniggered.

"You always were peculiar Banshee...but you are also bloody brilliant. If this is indeed Lucario Boy...then I think I may have a plan for you to dispose of him. When is his next performance?"

"Next Friday night at around eight at the Cafe Sonata. The city's Mayor is going to be there as well. This ought to be fun..." Banshee giggled.

 **X-X-X**

"So...it's called a Mega Stone? It sounds strange...I've never heard of them..." Hikaru blinked, looking down at the stone Kisara had produced.

"I know...neither have I. But anyway, the point is...this was given to me to give to you. I don't know if you realize this but your aura output is rather unusual," Kisara stated, leaning back in one of the chairs in her office as she went over everything with Hikaru.

"Everyone keeps telling me that..." Hikaru mumbled.

"Well, they say it for a reason. Number one...it all goes back to your battle with Brycen Man. You should have died...but you didn't. It's as if your aura preserves your life along with the life force you exude. When your life force seemingly gave up the ghost, your aura prevented that. When we did the scans, there should have been no life left in you and yet...there it was, the beating of a heart as if it never happened..." Kisara muttered.

"So I see..." Hikaru sighed.

"You are very unusual Hikaru. I hope you realize that your aura has the potential to surpass just about everyone here...even myself with enough work, but then again...that is why I train you is it not?" Kisara smirked.

"Right...it is..." Hikaru smiled faintly.

Kisara glanced down at her little protege with pride. Ever since the day the teen joined the Aura League she has found herself delighting in his company. The two were great friends even though she was the superior one in rank. They sparred often, and though she won almost every time, he improved significantly and gave her a run for her money a few times. She couldn't remember the last time she took a Vacuum Wave of that magnitude...and the Aura Sphere...she wouldn't talk about the one that nearly blew her through a wall. She barely won that fight, though she did hold back for his sake.

 **X-X-X**

"This scene turned out rather nicely...it really brings out how deep Kisara and Hikaru's relationship as comrades is..." Alice chuckled.

"Indeed, the character I played had a strong sense of right and wrong and was also a no nonsense woman. I think the director made this role with me in mind. I swear it was as if I were just acting like my usual self...minus a few things of course..." Cynthia smiled faintly.

"Yeah, Kisara was a great fit for you Cynthia. She held her companions in the highest regard, even if she did get mad at them for whatever reason. I guess my character was a little spoiled though, she acted differently around him," Katsu laughed.

"Well, your character was one strange kid. It's almost as if that's how you are in real life...I would believe that..."

"You have no idea Cynthia..." Alice sniggered.

"And...Jay, is it? I must say that role seems like an interesting one to me. It seems a complete contrast to the meek girl I met a few days ago. They must have really thought out of the box here...but you're playing your role brilliantly..." Cynthia continued in a hushed voice.

Jay smiled softly as she lifted her head from Katsu's shoulders, a blush creeping over her face as she looked back at Cynthia.

"Th-thank you...Cynthia, I'm honored to hear that..."

 **X-X-X**

"So...are you ready for tonight?" Kisara inquired, getting a nod from Hikaru who dressed casually as usual. He wasn't one to really dress up. It was a shame too since he would look rather nice.

"Yeah...the week went by rather quickly. I'm glad I was able to heal after that training session...you put me through the ringer Kisara..." Hikaru mumbled.

Kisara simply smirked at him. He along with Jericho were practically the only ones able to speak to her on a first name basis. Hikaru certainly earned that right after the first time they sparred when he body checked her into the training room floor. The attack sent her skidding into the back wall as she had underestimated him from the very start of the match and didn't take his speed into account. A mistake she rectified by kicking him into the adjacent wall afterwards. Footage of the brief memory flashed across the screen. Yes, Hikaru had earned her respect.

"Now...don't be nervous...there is quite a crowd tonight from the looks of things and I think I see the Mayor...not to freak you out or anything..." Kisara snickered.

"That really helps..." Hikaru mumbled, gripping his sax case tightly.

The doors to the Cafe Sonata opened slowly and in walked a rather attractive young woman. She wore a strapless red gown that accented every curve on her features. The gown had a slit in the side to reveal one of her lightly tanned slender, muscular legs. The v-necked gown was made of silk and clung to her body like a lover. The young woman's hair tumbled down her neck in a shower of curls on each side. Her eyes bad violet contacts in them to veil her gold and silver hues. Though her features seemed to glow, there was haunting sadness to her eyes.

Hikaru could see this as he walked out on stage. Oddly enough, the young woman placed herself at the closest table to his left while Kisara went to his right. The young woman looked to be about his age. And she easily drew Hikaru's attention. He almost couldn't focus. That was, until the lights came on. That's right, he was at a performance.

Nyx, as she was called, smirked at Hikaru as she saw the look on his face. She twirled a lock absentmindedly as she watched him begin. She had to admit, she loved listening to his music. Banette hovered close by, hiding her presence with the full extend of her abilities so that she couldn't be detected. Even Banette lightly swayed to and fro to the soothing melodies. Nyx had to admit, it was captivating. She crossed one slender leg over the other and rotated her foot a little as she watched. Kisara took note of Nyx's presence, having never seen her before and got curious. Nyx, however, knew who she was.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Hot...Jay...very hot...'_ Gen grinned as he watched the production.

 _'Oh shush...I was not!'_ Jay fired back, blushing profusely as she watched herself on screen.

 _'Jay...you had even the_ _ **director**_ _a bit flabbergasted. Sometimes I think you underestimate your ability to use...what are they called? Feminine wiles?'_

 _'Dusk? Not. Helping.'_

 _'So you don't deny it then?'_ Gen grinned.

Jay simply shook her head vigorously and held onto Katsu's hand as she watched the screen. It took all the courage she had to perform _a lot_ of these scenes. Some of which she blushed at the thought of.

 **X-X-X**

The performance came to a close and the Mayor stood up from his seat to greet Hikaru. The rather burly man walked up to him with a cheerful smile on his rugged features. Hikaru looked up at the tall man as he put away his instrument.

"I must say, that has to be the finest concert I have ever attended. It says here in the bulletin that you mostly played on street corners...why haven't you ever played in our grand hall? You most certainly deserve to do so..." The Mayor of Castelia beamed.

"I guess I was just never invited. That's a pretty big gig...and I don't make enough to be able to even get into the place for a concert. Most of my earnings help me with my rent or food."

"I see, well...I would like to _personally_ invite you to play there. After hearing what I just did, you most certainly deserve it. It was a pleasure to speak with you Hikaru. Unfortunately I must be off. I have urgent business to attend," The Mayor stated, looking pointedly at Kisara who nodded.

"Th-thank you!" Hikaru smiled broadly.

He'd never been invited to play in such a spectacular place, and yet, it happened. As he thought about it, a hand appeared on his shoulder rather swiftly and turned him around. How did that happen? And how was he not able to detect it readily? He must have been to distracted at what just occurred to think about it. He soon came face to face with a violet set of eyes.

"So, the Grand Hall huh?"

"What now?" Hikaru replied.

"Oh, forgive me...I couldn't help but overhear what the Mayor was saying. He invited you to one of my favorite places to go. I have to admit he's got a good eye for talent...and you are _very_ talented indeed..." Nyx stated with a smirk.

"Err...thanks...that's very kind of you to say," Hikaru blushed.

"Ah but you deserve it Hikaru," Nyx giggled.

Hikaru blinked as she spoke. He couldn't quite understand why she was making him feel so nervous. Kisara, his superior was a beautiful woman but she didn't seem to make him feel shaky. Nyx, however, made him feel more nervous than usual. She was _incredibly_ beautiful. Every inch of her was taken into those sapphire optics of hers from the tip of her head to her toes. Nyx could tell he was observing her, even if his eyes didn't move. He was already succumbing to her presence. However...there was something different. Most men she'd come across practically fell at her feet. Hikaru, was not doing that, which puzzled her.

She'd thought of most men as pigs who would do anything for a one night stand. Yet...for some reason, she didn't get that feeling from Hikaru. This frustrated and confused her a little. Was he blind or something? She couldn't exactly hide her features. She watched as he breathed in deeply to calm himself before looking at her more calmly this time. And that's when she felt it. There was an intense amount of aura emanating from him, even though he wasn't transformed. Most humans in the room had a slight amount, but barely enough to make themselves noticeable.

The two largest aura reserves in the room were obviously Hikaru's and Kisara's being larger still. Her own was hidden from them just like Banette was. This was a rather strange feeling to her, but she rather liked it. Relished it actually, because that meant he would actually prove to be a _challenge._ She was excited about this one.

"So Hikaru...are you going to stand there looking at me all day, or are you going to invite me to sit down? I can tell that you like what you see..." Nyx smirked.

"Err...sorry...yeah, have a seat then..." Hikaru stammered, sliding a chair out for her to take a seat before sitting down himself.

"Such a gentleman...you've got class in spite of the way you dress..." Nyx chuckled.

Hikaru smiled softly and heaved a great sigh.

"What's the matter?"

"Sorry...it was a long performance. It's been a while since I've performed those numbers and the fact that the Mayor was here listening made it all the more nerve-racking."

"Well, you most certainly didn't disappoint...I'd say you definitely got everyone's attention...including my own, obviously..." Nyx stated with a sultry gaze.

"I figured that much, so...can I get you anything? While we're sitting here we might as well eat something..." Hikaru laughed softly.

"I suppose I can accept the offer, once again, you are a gentleman Hikaru."

 **X-X-X**

"My liege...we are in position. The Cafe Sonata is just ahead of us...just give the order and we'll strike..."

"Of course general...be sure to cause as much havoc as possible...be sure to hurt Banshee only a _little._ It must be believed that she can't fend for herself for this plan to work. If we are to succeed...she must obviously not be found out..."

"As you wish my liege..."

As Hikaru and Nyx were enjoying a dinner, him actually getting her to laugh genuinely at his stories, the atmosphere suddenly felt different. Hikaru couldn't put his finger on it, but something wasn't right.

"What's wrong Hikaru?" Nyx inquired, feigning a curious look, considering she knew what was about to happen.

"I-I don't know...but something's not-"

BOOM!

The doors to the Cafe Sonata were blown off their hinges and several people were thrown back from the blast, mortally wounded. Kisara and Hikaru's heads snapped towards the sound as the dust began to settle. Several shadows burst from the dust and surrounded the tables. Another one appeared on stage and had 'captured' Nyx. The dust cloud was a distraction for Nyx to allow herself to be taken.

"Okay everyone, nobody moves..." The masked individual stated with a grin beneath his voice distorter.

Nyx, to make things look good, struggled in the man's grip, holding back her own strength considerably so as not to convey that she could handle him.

"You don't seem to comprehend what I said do you?"

"Unhand me you pig!" Nyx shot back at him.

There was an audible _thud_ as Nyx was knocked over the head with the hilt of a blade. She fell to the ground, unconscious as planned.

"Does anyone else wish to talk? I don't think it would be wise..." The cloaked man grinned.

As he looked around, Kisara was still around, but Hikaru was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone? The answer came to him in the form of a blinding roundhouse to the face which sent him flying off the stage towards the door, only to be knocked to the ground by a scissor-kick. When everyone looked up, Lucario Boy was standing by the door. His crimson irises narrowed as he was _clearly_ pissed off. Here he was, having a nice evening and was even getting to know a rather lovely woman, when these morons just HAD to ruin it. Kisara dusted off her hands after she'd delivered the roundhouse, 'passing' the man to Hikaru to finish the job. The force of the kick was enough to leave the man paralyzed for life from the jaw down, however Hikaru's follow up probably made the man a little worse for wear. Kisara moved like a Pidgeot at full throttle giving one a pretty good idea of how fast that kick came.

The other uniformed men that were standing around the tables all turned to focus on Hikaru and Kisara. They didn't have a chance in hell. One moved to fire upon Kisara but she practically _teleported_ to him, the heel of her palm crashing into his jaw as she used her other hand to push her elbow upwards. There was an audible crack which signaled a broken jaw bone. Her next move parried a blade hilt before backhanding the offender, knocking him to the ground. Three more converged on her which she swiftly disposed of utilizing a form of capoeira, spinning around on her palms, keeping herself upright as her legs split and spun like a propeller before she launched herself in the air, back-flipping, her heel landing on the bridge of one of the offenders nose. Her foot effectively drove him into the floor.

Hikaru had little to no trouble with his attackers. With the Extreme Speed combination followed by a rushing Vacuum Wave, he blew the rest of his attackers out the door, or what was left of it anyway. The people that were huddled into a corner when they were threatened slowly came out and began clapping. This was the first time most, if any, had seen Kisara and Hikaru in action. Of course, none knew that Lucario Boy was in fact Hikaru. They knew he was their hero and that was all that mattered.

"Quite impressive, Lucario Boy...I had a feeling I'd be seeing you tonight..." Kisara smirked, playing it off as though this were one of their first formal meetings.

"You flatter me Kisara...but what I did is miniscule when compared to your grace..." Hikaru grinned.

 **X-X-X**

"Okay, that scene looked fun. What's even more interesting was the way you guys had to do it. Katsu was able to provide those visuals via aura for himself. Obviously they made it look like his attacks connected via green screen...considering if he actually did that to someone like he probably could...it might have hospitalized them..." Alice chuckled.

"I was a bit surprised to learn that Kastu was an Aura Adept. It's been so long since the last one was mentioned," Cynthia smirked.

Katsu chuckled silently to himself as he continued to observe the screen.

"And you are surprisingly agile Cynthia...when I saw that you could actually perform those fighting moves, I was impressed...so my line fit perfectly with what I saw in the shoot..." Katsu grinned.

"That is very kind of you Katsu...but nothing will shake the surprise I was given when I saw you _actually_ perform a Vacuum Wave."

 **X-X-X**

Nyx woke up in a daze and with a searing headache. She found herself on a...couch? She didn't recognize where she was. She was still in her gown and was on a surprisingly comfortable sofa, in spite of how it looked. She didn't particularly think it matched the theme of the room. But that was a rant for another day.

"Hey...you're awake..." Hikaru chuckled softly, catching Nyx's attention.

"Ow...yeah, I am. My head hurts like the dickens...where am I?"

"In my place. After you'd been knocked out, some stuff went down at the Cafe so I got you out of there as fast as possible. It's been a few hours. You had quite a bump on the back of your head...so I took the liberty of putting some ice on it while you were still out..." Hikaru smiled.

"Yikes...I was out for that long? Goodness...I can't remember the last time I felt pain like this...but I guess it's preferable to the emotional pain I feel every day, at least I know this will go away..." Nyx sighed.

"Yeah...and once again, I'm sorry about your family...losing them must have been terrible..."

"Yes...indeed it was. But, one must move on, right? We can't dwell on it forever now can we?" Nyx said with a faint smile. Her eyes still remained rather depressed in expression and yet they were still very captivating.

Hikaru didn't know why he was so drawn to them. It confused him quite a bit, but he figured he wouldn't try so hard to dive into his feelings like this. Tonight was a bit rough and he didn't know what to think.

"Well...I have to hand it to you Hikaru...you sure do know how to treat a woman. Giving her a comfy spot to rest and taking care of her needs is a good start...you even bought me dinner, I'd say you practically had your first real date am I right?" Nyx grinned.

"Err...that wasn't...I mean..."

"Oh come now, the expression you are giving me says it all. I'd venture to believe that was your first time dealing with a woman like myself."

She was getting closer to him at this point, her eyes locking with his as she placed her hands on either side of his legs, looking deep into his sapphire irises. She had to admit, they were even more beautiful up close.

"And I would also venture to say...that you've not even had your first kiss yet..." She breathed out, her breath caressing his lips teasingly before she pulled away from him.

She smirked in satisfaction as she saw sweat trickle down the side of his visage. Of course she wasn't going to steal a kiss from him. She just wanted to see how he would react to her being that close.

"Well...I'm afraid I must be going. As much as I would love to stick around I need to head home. I do appreciate your kindness Hikaru...and rest assured this won't go unreturned. I will repay you for this in some way shape or form...count on it..." She winked before opening his door, giving him one last smile before exiting into the night.

Hikaru heaved a sigh of relief as she left. What just happened there? He was staring into two beautiful pools of violet. He couldn't think straight enough to speak. She had him captivated. He felt her hot breath on his lips and it sent chills down his spine. He shivered at the thought of how close she was and shook his head vigorously. Putting that aside, he made his way into his room and got ready for bed. It had been a long day, and he was quite exhausted.

 **X-X-X**

It was now three in the morning. Hikaru was fast asleep when he heard someone cry out from outside of his apartment. There was a series of thuds that echoed through the night which caught Hikaru's attention. He awoke with a start and dashed out the door in his pajama bottoms. There were suffering cries coming from the floor below him. He focused in on the darkness below him with his Aura Sight and spotted what appeared to be a Banette. As he scanned the area, he sensed a fading life form in the apartment below him. The individual was barely alive but would live.

Hikaru's attention snapped to the figure that was beside it. The figure was wearing a black cloak with violet trimmings. She had a hood over her features and wore black stockings and boots to go with them. Her uniform was also black and violet. For whatever reason, he could sense a considerable amount of power coming from her and it was terrifying. Darkness seemed to wrap around her frame as she stood there. She didn't seem to notice him just yet.

She walked inside the apartment she'd invaded, a twisted smirk on her features as she looked down upon her victim.

"No...please! Don't do this! I'll do anything, just please leave me be!" The injured man said as he looked up at the girl.

"Heh...you expect me to give you mercy? That's rather funny..." Banshee's haunting voice giggled, causing the man to cringe and sweat a little.

"Since you asked so nicely...I think I'll end this quick...so be thankful I'm feeling generous today..." Banshee smirked, vanishing from sight as if using Phantom Force.

As she was about to strike, a two blurs shot out of nowhere and took her by surprise. The first one, Lucario Boy, grabbed up the man before she could strike. The second blocked her assault as dark energies formed elongated shadow claws on her fingers. She must have been identified via Foresight because that should not have happened.

"Well, if it isn't Lucario Boy...a pleasure to finally meet you..." Banshee mock bowed, giggling as she put one hand in front of her mouth.

"And just who might you be?"

"You want to know my name? I'm sorry, but you're going to have to earn it. That is...if you think you're man enough..." Banshee grinned.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Hikaru muttered coldly, getting a whistle from Banshee.

"Aren't you a testy one. Here I am being lighthearted and you seem flustered...that's amusing," Banshee grinned.

Her hand began to formulate a Shadow Ball which was concentrated with heavy ghostly energies. She then fired it at Hikaru as a test. When he batted it away, she confirmed her earlier suspicions. A smirk crossed her visage as she saw this. She was going to have a _lot_ of fun with this.

"If you wish to find out who I am...you're going to have to catch me. So...do you think you're man enough Lucario Boy?"

Hikaru narrowed his eyes at this. He glanced down at the Bannette who was taunting his Lucario to come after her. And then, she vanished. Banshee went with her and the chase began. He turned to the man and helped him up.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Hikaru asked curiously.

"I-I do...it's in the cabinet in my bathroom. Please...can you get it for me?" The man asked.

Hikaru nodded and hastily darted to the bathroom to grab it. The man was somewhat shocked that he was actually seeing Lucario Boy and his companion. Hikaru returned and began to tend to the wounds the man had acquired. He bandaged him up after disinfecting the wounds and then set him on the couch.

"A-aren't you going to go after...her?" The man asked through pained grunts.

"I will, but I need to make sure you're well before I do that..." Hikaru said with a faint smile.

"I will be fine...my wife is a nurse...when she comes home she will be able to tend to me. Please just...go after that woman..."

Hikaru nodded and stood up, the tail of his uniform moving as if it were real while he walked. Lucario turned around and nodded to the man and the two exited the building.

Banshee could see all of this from where she was standing as she hadn't traveled all that far. From what she could tell, Hikaru was a very kind and gentle spirit and yet he was quite powerful. It was a foreign concept to her that a young man, a boy...as she considered him to be, could be so caring. Even after the challenge was issued, he took the time to tend to the wounded before going after her. From what she was told by Brycen Man...he was nothing significant. Just a pest to be exterminated. But for some reason...she felt a swelling in her chest and a warm feeling that wasn't there before. Shaking that feeling off, she focused on Hikaru.

Hikaru was now closing his eyes along with Lucario. What was he doing?

 _'Do you sense her yet?'_

 _'No...I think we'll have to-wait! I'm picking up something...it's just north of our position.'_

 _'Is it her?'_

 _'I believe so Hikaru...even though she has masked her aura, one cannot simply hide it all...'_

 _'I see...well then, shall we give chase?'_

 _'You're seriously going to do that?'_

 _'Yep...I know I'm tired...but I sort of want to do this. Sure I'll disturb the city in the process...but this will give me the chance to test this out...'_

 _'Ah...the stone you gave me...so you're going to try that trick huh?'_

 _'Yes...she's fast. But I think we can keep up with her...'_

 **X-X-X**

"Oooh, I liked this scene," Alice whisper-chuckled.

The audience was on the edge of their seats at this point. Not that they weren't already awestruck at the previous scenes. It was going to be quite a battle from what they could tell. Some people were stuffing their faces with popcorn, others gave themselves a brain freeze due to slurping up their slushies too quickly.

"Yes, this was a fun one to do...and I was especially impressed with what proceeded..."

"You mean the Mega Evolutions Katsu?" Jay inquired.

"Yes...though Riolu isn't evolved yet...they had to generate a model via green screen of what he looked like in that form...if only we had the _actual_ stones...having that kind of firepower would be so awesome..." Katsu chuckled.

"Indeed...I was blown away by it...now, let's continue watching shall we? I don't want to miss anymore lines..." Alice replied.

 **X-X-X**

A Vacuum Wave connected with a Shadow ball as Banette and Lucario were duking it out. The Foresight was helping Lucario tremendously, thanks to Hikaru being able to use it. This, however wasn't going to be that easy, even with it. So far, Hikaru and Banshee were evenly matched. Banshee appeared swiftly from behind and rammed her knee into Hikaru's lower back, sending him skidding across the ground. He put his hand down to break his fall as he went sliding back. She was _definitely_ strong.

Not only that, but she was able to levitate herself into the air to make it difficult to hit her. Something told him she was toying with him, and his answer came in the form of a much larger shadow ball that caused him to put his arms up. The blast connected and sent him flying back into a building. Hikaru came out of the rubble and retaliated with a Vacuum Wave which barely grazed her, sending her back a little ways. A smirk crossed Banshee's features as she wiped a little blood from her lip. She healed rather quickly so it didn't really hurt her too badly.

"I'm impressed Lucario _Boy,_ " Banshee emphasized the word 'boy' to tease him.

Hikaru wasn't amused. He turned around and vanished without a trace, causing Banshee to be on guard. He wasn't going to make this easy was he? She'd heard of his speed and this was her first time seeing it firsthand. However...she was able to detect distortions in the air rather well and moved an arm up to block an oncoming roundhouse, repelling the assault with a little effort, her eyes flashing with dark energy as she sent him flying. Hikaru regained his barrings and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop.

"Why don't we quit playing around Lucario Boy?" Banshee smirked, getting a raised brow from Hikaru.

"As if I don't already know what you are in possession of," she smirked, holding up her keystone which was in her wristband.

Hikaru's eyes widened as he saw this. She had a keystone...and he had something like it.

"How did you know about that?" Hikaru asked, now curious about why Banshee knew about his Mega Ring.

"I know a lot more about you than you realize Lucario Boy..." Banshee grinned.

Hikaru then watched as she raised her fist to the skies. As she did this, an eerie violet aura surrounded her frame, and the same thing happened to Banette. And then, it happened. Her Banette became even more terrifying to look at. Additional zippers appeared on her frame and her body color got much darker. One zipper ran diagonally down the middle of her face. The other zipper an from the left eye to the tip of her central spike. The other three unzipped to reveal other parts of her purple form. He could see that Banette had purple fingers and pointed legs. The ribbon that she had was now more erect and distinguished and had a zipper on it as well. More spikes appeared on her body making her look even more horrifying than she already did.

Banshee smirked deviously at him as she saw the stupefied look on his face. Mega Banette was born. The only question that remained was, did he have the gumption to keep going and fight her? Hikaru looked over at Lucario who nodded to him. Both of them closed their eyes as they remembered what was said to them by Kisara. The bond, according to what Jericho had told her to tell Hikaru, had to be strong. If anything, theirs was as strong as it got. Power erupted from both Hikaru and Lucario as the latter _and_ the former began to transform.

Lucario's cream fur became longer and his thighs slimmer. Lucario developed a few more spikes on the back of his paws as well as on his feet. His paws became crimson as well. The appendages on his head that he used for sensing aura grew _much_ longer and two of them were tipped scarlet. His shoulders grew a spike each and his aura flowed more powerfully throughout his body, giving him black markings on the azure fur. His tail even went from a slim blue to a bushy creme, similar to that of a Flareon's tail. Lucario looked over at Hikaru to see that a change had come over him as well. With this change, the uniform he wore seemed to have reacted to it. Now the fight would get interesting.

 **X-X-X**

"Commander!" A feminine voice called out, causing Kisara to turn around and spot Asami, who was being played by Alice.

Asami wore a militaristic uniform and was floating on top of a Magnezone. She stepped off of her friend and patted the metallic Pokemon before walking over to Kisara.

"Ah...Asami. I take it you couldn't sleep either...is something wrong?" Kisara inquired with a yawn, still in her earlier uniform.

"Yes, it seems that a fight has broken out in the city. I'm detecting enormous amounts of aura usage, this output is crazy!" Asami said as she darted to the computer screen to see if she could pull up any satellite images.

With a little hassle she managed to connect to the satellite to bring into focus the action that was happening in the city. As soon as the screen came up clearly, Kisara's mouth dropped open.

"That...that's Hikaru!" Kisara exclaimed.

"It is? But he looks so...different..." Asami stated as she watched what was going on in the city.

Hikaru pretty much matched Lucario in his Mega State, save for his hair still being blue. There were markings on his face as well that glowed a sky blue color while the other markings on his suit were black. He was moving at incredible speeds that no normal individual would be able to track. And surprisingly, Banshee was keeping up with him. Lucario and Banette were having a field day in their Mega forms. Banette wasn't as fast as Lucario, but she was able to counter him blow for blow.

"Sh-should we go out there? I mean...someone has to keep them from doing too much damage right?" Asami winced as an aura sphere fired from Hikaru hit a nearby car.

"I don't think that's what we should worry about...this woman he's fighting...is obviously skilled. So far she's been able to match Hikaru even in his current state...it's as if she herself 'evolved' so to speak."

Sure enough, there were violet markings on Banshee's face to symbolize the increase in power. Their clashes were heard throughout the city which woke up many people. Some of them looked out to see what was going on, only to immediately regret it as an explosion shook the buildings. Banshee was smiling all the while, watching the destruction take place. Toying with him was far too much fun. As he came near, she blocked one of his strikes and followed up with a powerful elbow to the back of his neck, sending Hikaru plummeting into the ground below.

Lucario took a will-o-wisp to the face and was badly burned. He was then body checked by a powerful Phantom Force and sent crashing right into Hikaru as he got up. Both Hikaru and Lucario struggled to their feet, their bodies wearing out from the amount of power they were outputting. They hadn't exactly practiced this and it was getting hard to control. Banshee was obviously better at it and had the upper-hand by default. Hikaru's eyes widened as two rather large Shadow Balls came their way. Lucario and Hikaru put their arms up to block the oncoming assault, flying backwards even though the impact was reduced. Hikaru's new form gave out, as did Lucario's as he struggled to look up. As Hikaru did he was met with a familiar face.

"Y-you're-"

"I am...and I know who you are, Hikaru..." Nyx smirked, taking his face in her hand with a grin.

"You know...I was supposed to eliminate you...but I find that to be less enjoyable than I thought it would be...I could crush you right here and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it...but instead, I'm going to leave you with a little parting gift before I make my way back to Brycen Man..."

With that, she slowly closed the distance between their lips, pressing firmly so she could taste all of his emotions at once. It was a warm feeling to her. She'd done this before...but this was different. She could feel that he was indeed a different person than most she'd met. Caring, gentle, kind...and just over all loving. She released him and then looked down at him as his consciousness started to fade. She'd transferred some of her energy to him to help put him to sleep. With a satisfied smirk, she vanished in an instant.

 **X-X-X**

Hikaru woke up back in the same familiar room he'd been in the first time. It had been a while since he'd visited there and now he was there again.

"Glad to see you're finally awake..." Kisara said as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"H-how long was I out?"

"Four days...give or take...whatever the heck she did to you put you into a coma for a while..." Kisara muttered, clenching her fists a bit in irritation.

"You're mad at me aren't you?" Hikaru muttered.

"No...not really...I just wish to Arceus I was there instead. I saw the fight...Asami and I both watched it. The two of you were even for a time until she pulled a fast one on you. She's crafty..."

"Sounds like you're impressed..."

"Maybe a little...but that doesn't change the fact that we will need to toughen you up more for the next encounter..."

"I made a lot of mistakes..."

"I know, but next time, after the training I do with you...she won't know what hit her. Also, you said she worked for Brycen Man? I had a feeling..."

"Yes, and she was also the same woman that was knocked out in the Cafe...I should have guessed she was trouble when she walked in," Hikaru muttered.

"It's okay...you were taken by her beauty...it happens. Now, since you're awake...get something to eat and then get ready for training...your special training begins in now..."

 **X-X-X**

Nyx had returned to her place rather exhausted after training. It had been four days since she fought Hikaru. She stripped out of her uniform and plopped down on her bed after getting ready. She placed her index and middle finger onto her lips and closed her eyes. Her heart skipped a few beats as she brought the memory back into mind. She had this warm feeling inside of her that never existed before. She'd always felt cold on the inside, but this heat...this unexplainable heat...what was it? She felt herself clutching her chest as the feeling swelled up inside of her.

She'd seen a lot of his character, and by looking into his eyes could see who he was as a person. What was this feeling? If love at first sight had any merit at all, which she never fully believed in, this would be as close as it got. During their fight, she could tell he was trying to be careful...even when he aimed attacks her way. For some unexplained reason, she found herself being the one attracted to him.

"Huh...so that's how it works...in love with the enemy eh? Heh...boy have I reached an all time low Banette..." Nyx muttered as she flopped back onto her bed and let herself drift off into dreamland.

 **And so ends part one! The second part of the movie is coming out. The reason it's divided up into two parts should be apparent. It's a pretty long movie! How did you like the little surprise I put in there? I know I brought in Cynthia but placing Mega Evolutions in the movie just makes it even better. The idea came to me from PG-13. Actually, the character Jay plays in the movie was for the most part, his idea, including the catch phrase "Are you man enough?" I hope you enjoyed the first part of this movie because the second one is coming! Get ready for the final half of The Aura League, Allure of Banshee!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hello everyone! Welcome back! I hope the previous chapter was enjoyable. How are you enjoying the movie so far? I hope you all like it. I was toying around with Jay's movie character a bit in that one and had her experience some of the same emotions she had outside of her movie character, namely the warm and fuzzy feeling of being enamoured. As you may have guessed, this movie is having a bit of a forbidden romance between the two. I hope you enjoy the final part as the movie winds down! So, without further ado, why don't we get right to it?!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 33: The Aura League, Allure of Banshee, Part Two**

Brycen Man stood in front of the monitors as he went over a few blue prints for a new model fighter craft he'd been working on making. The doors opened as Banshee stepped through the doors. A smirk played on her hidden visage as she entered with Banette. Brycen Man turned around and smiled wryly as she approached.

"I must say, I commend you on your defeat of Lucario Boy. I knew he wouldn't be much of a match against you considering you had the advantage..."

"He was a bit more difficult to handle than expected...but nonetheless, he wasn't able to best me. I think I bought us enough time to bring our next plan to fruitation correct?"

"More than enough time Banshee...this city will be reduced to ashes if they don't all grovel at my feet..."

"Twisted as always Brycen Man..." Banshee smirked as she turned to exit.

"So...what do you plan to do while he's wounded?"

"Kick him while he's down...he must suffer greatly for what he has done to me..." Brycen Man growled.

Although Banshee was working with Brycen Man and was pretty much second in command...she did at times, find his methods rather gruesome. Unlike Brycen Man, she fought with honor...even when she had the upper hand. Brycen Man utilized cruel and underhanded tactics to bend people to his will. But that's what made him a super villain right? The thought of herself waking up on Hikaru's couch flashed through her mind as she turned to walk away.

"Something the matter Banshee?" Brycen Man inquired.

"No...it's nothing...I'm just tired is all. Late night..." Banshee admitted, turning to exit the room.

"I see, well...farewell then," Brycen Man frowned, watching her leave.

 **X-X-X**

 _'This seems familiar...'_

 _'You're right Gen, it does. Just like Jay struggled with her feelings, it seems her character, Nyx, is struggling with hers. No wonder Jay could play this character so well, it's as if it were made for her...'_

 _'I think you're right Dusk, this character fits well with Jay. The confidence of Banshee is what she showed in the World Tournament and the feelings afterwards are Jay. Talk about getting lucky...'_

 _'Jay almost never gets lucky...but with Katsu, she's had nothing but luck...and well, as you can see Rif,'_ Gen stated, gesturing to Katsu holding Jay's hand, their fingers intertwined.

 _'That's our Jay...our lovely, beautiful Jay...'_ Rif stated as he twisted the 'x' on his face into somewhat of a smile.

 _'Rif...don't do that...it creeps me out...'_

 _'Says the one who has a smile the size of his face. Where even_ _ **is**_ _your face?'_ Dusk inquired.

 _'No comment Dusk...no comment...'_ Gengar muttered, not even mentioning the fact that Dusk didn't even have a mouth.

 **X-X-X**

"Alright...Hikaru, what I am about to teach you is something that is mostly restricted to the dragon family with _very_ few exceptions. I want you to watch closely as this is done. Lucario is an intriguing Pokemon in that it is the only Fighting type aside from a Scrafty that can learn this," Kisara stated as the two of them stood in the midst of the sandy desert north of Castelia.

There were no structures to be affected by the training, which made this more doable rather than have him train inside the main base of operations. She figured that if he did manage to learn what she was going to teach him, she wouldn't want there to be any destruction of property.

"Watch closely Hikaru...I have never done this for any of the other members...mostly because I never felt the need to. But you...I see something special in you...and so I am willing to teach you, I hope you're ready..."

Hikaru nodded, signifying that he was indeed ready.

"Okay...you may want to stand back..." Kisara said as she took a deep breath.

Kisara closed her eyes and began to concentrate. A bright orange aura began to outline her frame as she stuck out her hand. Sparks of electricity from the buildup began to fly from her body. A whirlwind whipped up around her frame as sand was kicked up with it, circling her lithe frame. The ground began to tremble las an orb of orange light formulated into her open palm. Lighter orange zig-zags of energy darted around it and then...

BOOM!

A blast erupted from the palm of her hand in a high powered beam, likened to that of a hyper beam only with lighter orange flames spiraling around it as it traveled. The part that really amazed Hikaru was the fact that as it traveled, the face of a dragon immerged at the tip with a gaping mouth and he swore he heard a dragons roar. An explosion rocked the desert as the blast connected with the sands, leaving a _deep,_ crater. Kisara lowered her hand and the glow around her body faded, leaving him speechless.

"I know...I got that same look from the big man upstairs when I did that. He seemed as shocked as you are," Kisara chuckled.

"Shocked doesn't begin to cover it...I had no idea you could do that..." Hikaru blinked.

"Well, now you do...and now I'm going to teach it to you," Kisara grinned.

Hikaru blinked as she said this. Was she really going to teach him, and Lucario, _that?!_ He could hardly believe it. This was going to be a long day.

 **X-X-X**

Several days had gone by for Castelia City without any real incident, save for a few criminals being stopped by the other members of the Aura League. One of them had a Gallade, the other a Medicham. They were the original ones who had introduced themselves to Hikaru when he woke up. The man in the black cloak had the Medicham while the woman had the Gallade.

"So...Cassie...how do you think he's doing?"

"Well, this _is_ Kisara we're talking about...she never does this for anyone and I can bet that she's putting Hikaru through the ringer Raymond..."

"Well, shall we get going then? We ought to leave these two to the police...it seems Brycen Man's men are everywhere and now we have to be on the lookout for that other one. I hate to say it...but she could probably take the two of us..." Raymond sighed.

"Then we must be prepared as well, but for now...let's retire back to base. I'm rather tired."

 **X-X-X**

Nyx was in her living-room that afternoon, contemplating the next phase of the plan. A week and a half had already gone by since her encounter with Hikaru. Her mind drifted off to unknown territory, causing her to think about things that normally didn't concern her at all. What was her purpose in doing all of this? All of her life she had been a gravely misunderstood child and was angry at the world for it. When she was younger, she was always teased in school because of how quickly she had developed. Other girls didn't exactly have as fit a frame as she did. She thought they hated her...but it was just misdirected jealousy. The horrors inflicted to her were more than enough to make her angry at just about everyone and everything.

Her mind was scarred with images of being pushed around by some of the very girls she wanted to make friends with. They pushed her into embarrassing situations and made her the subject of their cruelty. Yes, she carried that bitterness _everywhere._ And she made it perfectly clear to everyone that she would not be trifled with. So why didn't she kill Hikaru? Why did she actually leave someone _alive?_ Usually she offed them without a second thought and was done with it. She _even_ left the man in that apartment alive. Was she growing soft? Or was it something else?

At that moment, an image flashed through her mind. Once again, she was on Hikaru's couch. He mentioned having iced her head wound and even checked on her every now and again. She couldn't process it. He, a 'pig' as she saw most men, was actually _nice?_ He actually cared about her? Even after he found out who she was, he didn't call her anything degrading. He actually looked...sad. The same feeling she felt for so many years. The memories of so many hazings and terrible years came flooding in and broke her. She began to do something she hadn't done in years. She bawled. All these years, people had misunderstood her, pushed her around and tossed her aside. Years prior to the darkness she'd obtained she'd been left for dead just outside of the city limits after passing through Narrow Street.

That's when she met Brycen Man. He felt a hidden strength within her and decided to take her under his wing. Soon her powers grew exponentially and she was able to fend for herself. It was slow at first, but as she realized the basis of her abilities...her hunger grew stronger for more power. She was like a black hole, sucking in everything that came within range. She was even able to best Brycen Man in a spar along with his best men. That's when he put her as second in command, to remind her of her position. He had found her. He essentially, 'owned' her. All of these years she'd done his bidding and didn't think anything of it. He reminded her of all the pain others had caused her and how nobody but he would help her.

And that's when Hikaru came along and _completely_ derailed that theory. When she leaned in that first time to look into his eyes, she could see that his actions were not suggesting anything other than genuine compassion. It baffled her beyond belief. What she had seen she could not explain. His eyes gave away his character and even when she defeated him, his eyes still held the _same_ beliefs. What. The. Heck? She didn't need to spend years with the boy to know any of this. Her eyes were able to see deep into the depths of his person, something she wished she didn't do. Because now? She had an aching feeling in her heart. It was something that felt out of place and almost didn't belong...and yet...it felt right. When she kissed him to transfer the energy to put him out...she almost didn't want to stop.

She felt so strange in that moment. She never really saw any man as a worthy mate. And yet...Hikaru, once again, she found in him something she never expected. She wiped her eyes of her tears and slowly stood up, resolving to find out exactly _why_ she felt this way. This never happened and it made her irritated and happy at the same time. It was infuriating to her and Banette could sense it

 _'Is he still on your mind?'_

 _'Yes Banette...he is...ugh! I don't know why either...'_

 _'I think it was because you looked into the eyes of your enemy...whenever you use that ability...it usually determines what method you dispose of them by. Before you were about to make your decision with Hikaru, you must have seen something that changed your mind, so instead...you knocked him out with a kiss...a very odd method.'_

 _'I...I know, I just couldn't do it Banette. I have never found such innocence...and now that I think of it...his name...Hikaru...represents the essence of light. Obviously I'm the opposite...'_

 _'In essence...you believe him to be someone you shouldn't oppose?'_

 _'I guess...I don't know what I'm feeling right now. My head hurts. And yet my heart won't stop pounding...and every time I think of him...I feel guilty. Why?'_

 _'Perhaps it is because part of you believes that Hikaru is someone you should get to know and perhaps become friends with...rather than be at odds with.'_

 _'I...I think it's more than that Banette...I don't know why...but...but...I want him...I know this is sudden, but after what I've seen, I honestly couldn't give two Muks anymore. We may be enemies...but I'm going to find a way to make him see that it doesn't have to be that way...'_

 _'This is very surprising of you Nyx...in all my years of knowing you, never once did I think you would ever come to terms with yourself like this. And to think a mere boy did this to you...'_

 _'Yes...he's still a boy...albeit a very nice boy. According to his files he's around 18 years old...as am I...'_

 _'So what do you plan to do?'_

 _'I don't know...I'll have to think about it. But I do plan to make everything clear to the boy. Besides...I highly doubt he'll put up much resistance. My presence makes him so nervous it's painfully cute to watch...I wonder how he'd react if I-never mind...'_

 _'Dark...very dark of you Nyx...'_

 _'What?'_

 _'Nothing Nyx.'_

 **X-X-X**

Hikaru was still struggling to learn the technique that Kisara was teaching him. Dragon Pulse wasn't exactly easy to build up considering it was draconic based and there was barely a shred of its ancestry within Lucario as it was. The fact that he could even use it was unbelievable.

"You're getting better. Though you still need to work on your control of the energy. You've managed to be able to start the gathering process...but you aren't able to form the ball just yet. Then again...it's understandable. My master taught me years ago how to do this. That was...before his passing..." Kisara sighed as she took on a faraway look.

Memories of her grandfather flooded back into her mind as she was learning this technique. A year before his passing she'd managed to complete her training and now? She was teaching someone else what she'd been taught. Hikaru reminded her of herself at times. He was eager to learn and was easy to work with, even if he didn't get everything just right. He almost had it a few times, but as she suspected, it was difficult to control. She sighed softly as she looked up at the sky. It was getting late. The sun was setting and she was getting hungry. She could tell her little protege was as well.

"Why don't we call it a day? I'm hungry and you are exhausted. We can pick this up first thing tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"

"Thank you Kisara...honestly I felt like I was going to fall over after that last one. This is more difficult than I thought it was going to be..."

"I can tell. But don't worry, you will get it in time. Now, how about we go and get some dinner and maybe some Castelia Cones? That is...if the darn things haven't sold out already..." Kisara grunted.

"That sounds like a great idea," Hikaru laughed.

"Besides, you've got a performance tonight. So you had better get your strength back up. We can't have you fainting from hunger now can we?" Kisara chuckled.

"Right...that wouldn't be good..." Hikaru replied.

"Hey you two!" Asami's voice interrupted as she glided towards them on her Magnezone.

"Oh, hey there Asami, what brings you out here?" Hikaru inquired.

"Just chekcing up on you guys. You've been at it for nine hours straight without a single break...you two seriously should take it easy once in a while..." Asami playfully scolded.

"Right, sorry about that. Hikaru was just so dedicated I couldn't stop him if I wanted to," Kisara snickered.

"Are you sure it wasn't just you pushing him over his limit? I know how you are Kisara Fumiko..." Asami grumbled.

Kisara sweat-dropped as she looked around. Asami rarely used her full name and when she did it was usually one of two things, she was getting a scolding or it was something troublesome. On top of practicing Dragon Pulse every half hour, she had alternated between him getting used to the power of his own transformation as well as having his Lucario learn to control the power. Though she didn't have her own stone, _yet_ her Garchomp proved more than enough of a challenge to keep the canine-like Pokemon on his feet. There were several craters from stray Mega Evolution induced Aura Spheres and Vacuum Waves. Add in the giant crater behind her from her first Dragon Pulse and well...there was a mess.

"I suppose we could take it easy...I admit, I wasn't sure just how far we'd go. Mind giving us a lift?" Kisara inquired.

"I don't mind at all. Where to?"

"Back to base so we can all shower up. And then perhaps go to Cafe Sonata to get something to eat and get Hikaru ready for his performance at the Grand Hall."

"That's tomorrow night isn't it? I'm guessing he has a small little concert before the big one huh?"

"Indeed he does Asami...now, can we go? I'm tired, and hungry..."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go, hop aboard."

 **X-X-X**

The Cafe Sonata had undergone some renovations and the reconstruction of the part that was blown away was completed. Everyone could safely return there as they wished and as usual, business was booming, in spite of the recent events. Hikaru and Kisara were sitting down at one of the tables towards the front while other musicians played. He wouldn't be on until later that evening. Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, even Kisara, Nyx was keeping her presence hidden. While she was asked to keep tabs on Hikaru, she wanted to know exactly what it was that she was feeling. Under a well disciplined Phantom Force, she managed to keep herself from being noticed. She disliked having to hide.

She was doing this on her own accord. No orders from Brycen Man, no elaborate scheming. Nothing of the sort. This was all on her own. It was soon time for Hikaru to begin. He got on stage and pulled out his sax and began to warm up. Nyx watched as he began, listening to every note as the songs he played washed over her. She felt a rather warm feeling rising in her bosom as she watched him. The more she listened, the more captivated she became. Before, it was simply a ploy to get information and to confirm her suspicions. Now? It was something far from that.

She practically pined for him. What had started off as mild curiosity had driven itself into a passion. She wanted this boy, and she was going to do what she had to in order for that to occur. After all..she already knew where he lived. So there was that she supposed. But what could she do? she needed to figure out what she was going to do. And then it dawned on her. A smirk crossed her features as she continued watching him play. It occurred to her that there was something she could do. Even he wouldn't be able to see this coming.

As the concert came to an end, Hikaru got his usual applause. She even joined in with the crowd. What? They couldn't see her anyway. The Cafe soon quieted down and Hikaru took a bow before exiting the stage.

"Well done Hikaru, that was great as usual."

"Thanks Kisara...always try my best. It usually pays off in the end."

"It most certainly does!"

Nyx continued listening to the conversation, chuckling to herself as she did this. It was getting late and she was going to have to hurry. She vanished from the Cafe Sonata and went off into the night. Her mission? His place. The plan? She wasn't sure of yet. All she had to do was wait. It didn't take her long to reach his apartment. She utilized her abilities to unlock his door and relock it once she was done. What? She was a villain wasn't she? Breaking and entering was not an unfamiliar concept...save for the fact that she had only entered. Now, all she had to do was wait.

 **X-X-X**

Hikaru returned to his apartment later that evening after having talked to Kisara about the morning training regiment. It was pretty clearer to him that he was going to go through a lot the next day. Little did he know that what Kisara had planned was the least of his worries.

"Hello, Hikaru..."

Hikaru whirled around as he heard the sound of Nyx's voice. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of her, his aura flaring up as she began to pace in a slow circle around him.

"Why are you here?" Hikaru demanded.

"You know...I am wondering that very thing myself. You see...I want to know why it is that you frustrate me so much..."

"I can think of a few reasons...we're enemies, so there's that..."

"Yes...but there is something much more than that, I'm afraid. You see...when I defeated you I had originally intended to kill you..."

"What made you stop? Your guilty conscience? Or was it more...because I could have sworn you were enjoying stealing a kiss from me...to think my first was from my enemy..."

"Yeah...about that...I want to try that again..."

Hikaru blinked. The very woman who tried to kill him was now telling him that she wanted to kiss him again? What was this world coming to? Before he could even reply, she was close to him, wrapping her arms gently around his neck. Her beauty up close was overwhelming, and Hikaru couldn't take his eyes off of her. This was an overload of his senses. She smelled nice, looked amazing and was now being tender with him instead of trying to kill him. Before he could speak, he was quickly stopped by the feeling of her lips pressing against his own. He couldn't help it. He reciprocated. The kiss lasted about a minute or two before the two broke apart, gasping for air.

 **X-X-X**

Jay blushed profusely at this scene. It wasn't because she had to kiss Katsu. No, she would do that all day, any day. It was the fact that it was up on the big screen. _Everyone_ saw her kiss him. And now...everyone would see what happened next. She glanced over at Katsu as he continued watching. She wondered what he was thinking during those scenes. Her attention snapped back to the screen as her part was coming up.

 **X-X-X**

The room had grown silent for a while the two looked at one another. What did this all mean? Hikaru couldn't process it. He had no idea what just occurred but as much as he hated to admit it, he liked it.

"Hikaru? I need to get going...but first, where is your bathroom? I need to go..." Nyx announced.

"I don't know if I am comfortable with you going in there...I need to get ready for tomorrow..."

"I see..."

"But if you are quick...I don't see why not. Just don't mess with anything okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. You just go get ready for bed and I will be out of your hair in a few minutes..."

"Thanks...by the way...I still don't know your name."

"Like I told you before, you need to earn it...but you will find out soon."

And with that she went into his bathroom and locked the door. Hikaru sighed and muttered under his breath. He had the enemy in his house. Was he dumb? Probably. But something told him that there was something to what was going on. He sighed softly and made his way into his room before closing the door. He slipped into his pajamas, having resolved to shower in the morning. He heard the toilet flush, confirming that Nyx was done. In all honesty he hoped she would be out quickly. He didn't want another incident.

As he was about to climb into bed, there was an audible click lime a door being locked. His head turned around to see Nyx standing there in a bathrobe. _His_ bathrobe. His eyes grew wide as she gave him a sultry gaze.

"I thought you said you would be gone..." Hikaru stated, nervousness overtaking him as he saw the look in her eyes.

"I lied..." She shrugged, advancing towards him.

"What are y-"

Nyx placed a finger over his lips to silence him as their eyes made contact.

"Shhhh...don't worry about it. By the time this is over...you will thank me," she smirked.

Hikaru didn't know what to do. When it came to situations like this he was not very good at it at all. Just what was she doing? Whatever it was, it was working because he found himself consenting to it. She kissed his neck a few times before pushing him onto the bed. The light by the bed clicked off followed by the sound of a robe falling to the floor.

 **X-X-X**

"This scene really had me going..." Jennifer whispered excitedly.

"Mom...you really overdid it a bit..."

"I did not! I was only trying to help Jay make it seem more believable," Jennifer defended.

"You made her quite nervous. We had to redo that scene a few times...ten if I remember correctly..."

"Well, it got done didn't it?"

"Only after you convinced her that the lights were dark enough for nobody to see..."

"I suppose...even though nothing really occurred. She was fully clothed off screen. They just green screened it to make it seem like she had nothing beneath the robe...I don't know what the fuss was about..."

"Errm...Mrs Aiko?" Jay piped up awkwardly.

"Oops...sorry Jay, I guess this scene excited me quite a bit..."

"I-It's okay...I know I didn't have to _really_ get undressed. It was just the pose they had me in...it was awkward..."

"As much as I love talking about this...can we continue watching?"

"Sorry son."

 **X-X-X**

The next morning came rather quickly. That night had been unlike anything Hikaru had ever experienced in his life. He glanced over to see that Nyx was gone and in her place was a note.

 _Hikaru,_

 _There is no easy way to say this. Last night was unbelievable! I am so sorry that I pressed forward so quickly but I had to. I could not escape the feelings I had any longer. Yes...Hikaru, you amaze me. I do hope that you will remember our little night together. I just had to be certain what I was feeling was real. And it was...it's so odd. Being in love with the enemy. But that is the way it works now. I am in love with you_ _ **boy.**_ _Yes...you are still a boy to me...even if we are the same age. And I won't tire of reminding you of it. Now that I have laid my feelings out on the table...are you man enough to come after me? Are you man enough to feel the same? Come get me...if you dare. ;-)_

 _Love,_

 _Nyx_

So her name was Nyx. That was quite a fitting name indeed. Hikaru sighed as he got out of bed and got dressed. He needed to meet Kisara within an hour for training.

 **X-X-X**

Brycen Man stood in front of the computer screen, typing away to alert all of his crew of their assault on the Grand Hall. Banshee walked in looking dark as usual. She wore no expression as always and was ready to receive orders.

"Ah, Banshee...how nice of you to drop in. I take it you are prepared for tonight?"

"I most certainly am. I have a feeling I will have a lot more fun tonight than I have had in a long while."

She was lying of course. The previous night was probably the highlight of her existence. However, due to her usual tone of voice, having that haunting sweetness to it...Brycen Man had no clue what happened and she was going to keep it that way.

"Good. I know you and Banette will be having a lot of fun for tonight, we will destroy Lucario Boy."

Banshee said nothing as usual. She simply smirked and turned to leave.

"That I will delight in..." She grinned. Of course she was lying. She would attack others...but not him. Not after what they had shared together.

 **X-X-X**

Hours seemed to pass like seconds the more that Hikaru trained with Kisara. By now he was managing to keep up with her but barely. She could tell that he was improving but he still had a long way to go. A roundhouse kick to the face proved her point as she caught him off guard. He stumbled back a bit and launched a Vacuum Wave at her. She braced herself and took it full on, skidding back but not faltering. Hikaru was getting tired. He had been maintaining his transformed state for quite some time. He was told to remain at full strength to get used to the strain of the form. As the sun began to set, he looked back towards the city.

"Asami? What time is it?" He asked, causing her to look down in alarm. Even Kisara was a little nervous.

"Whew! It's only 7:30 you have time."

Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, you need to get ready kiddo. You have an hour to prepare and another half hour before you perform. Let's go. Asami?"

"Hop aboard!"

And with that they took off towards the city.

 **X-X-X**

Hikaru was nervous. The entire place was packed and he was one of many performers that night. Even more nerveracking wasthe fact that he was _last._ Normally that would be a good thing. But he usually wanted to get it out of the way. He sighed as he stood backstage. He also couldn't stop thinking about Nyx. Just what was getting into him? He took a moment to close his eyes and feel out his audience. He sensed Asami, Kisara, Raymond, and Cassie as well as a few other members of the Aura League who were in the audience.

Someone got on stage and began to make a few announcements.

"Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Grand Hall..." The woman spoke.

As she spoke, there was a an unsettling feeling that began to sink in. The other members of the Aura League found it strange as well. Why did they get the feeling that something was completely off.

"In conclusion, why don't you all just enjoy tonight...because it very well may be your last," the woman on stage smirked.

Hikaru needed no prompting. Nor did the other members. Before anyone knew what happened, an explosion rocked the Grand Hall behind the woman on stage as she dawned an outfit similar to the men that barged in.

"Well spoken Ithylwen."

"Thank you my liege... Brycen Man..."

Everyone gaped in shock.

"Are you all surprised I am alive? Did you really think I would die so easily? The time has come for my revenge and it all starts here where everyone's pathetic dreams and ideals meet. I will burn this place to the ground if you do not fall before me!"

Banshee came out of the woodwork to make a point of what Brycen Man had said. A family in the audience suddenly collapsed. Unconscious of course, unbeknownst to Brycen Man. She once again didn't kill. Was she alright? She didn't even know herself. That's when a Psycho Cut nearly sidelined her had she not sensed it coming. She avoided it with as and fired off a Shadow Ball. The audience broke into a panic. Hikaru appeared as well, in full uniform with Lucario at his side. He spotted Nyx in the crowd, fighting Cassie who was barely holding her own. Banette had Mega Evolved and thus Banshee got a boost as well. Kisara had her hands full with the mob of Brycen Man's underlings. She easily dispatched of several, however the number kept growing.

There were a few cyborgs in the mix as well which were very difficult to take down but were manageable. Hikaru tore through the mechanical monstrosities one after the other, knocking out the occasional underling here and there. The Grand Hall had become an arena. One of the more psychichly adept members of the Aura League used his abilities and with enough concentration, teleported all noncombatants _far_ away. From the Hall. It never ceased to amaze Kisara.

"So, Lucario Boy...you challenge me after you lost to my accomplice Banshee. How amusing. If you think you can defeat me after losing to her, you are wrong! I am going to make you pay for these permanent reminders. You will die here and now!"

Brycen Man took out his staff which had been modified by the ,books of things. It soon began to glow and an eerie aura surrounded his body. The mechanical parts of him lit up and a pulse of powerful energy expelled from his frame, causing Hikaru to struggle to stand. Before he knew it, Brycen Man was right on top of him and aiming his metal fist at his face. Hikaru threw up his arms to block and was promptly knocked back. Hikaru struggled to maintain his balance after being slammed into so roughly. He winced and then flickered from view to avoid another assault. He got around behind Brycen Man and aimed a well placed roundhouse to his face which knocked him back considerably.

"Still as strong as ever eh boy?"

"And you are still as blind as ever...you apparently don't seem to know what you are doing is wrong... So let me spell it out for you..."

Hikaru fired off a Vacuum Wave which connected, however...for some reason...it did nothing. The energy was sucked into him somehow. Hikaru tried again and got the same result. Suddenly, a blast of wind knocked him flat on his back, skidding across the ground.

"Do you like it? It's a special modification I made that absorbs your specific moves, ones I programmed into it...and then fires them back at double the power. I know all of your techniques...so if you think you can best me in your current state...you are sorely mistaken!"

 **X-X-X**

Banshee had already worn out Raymond after a battle with Cassie who was now lying unconscious. Raymond was fairing no better. Banshee trekked towards the exhausted hero and then vanished using Phantom Force. Within seconds, Raymond was out of sorts. Banshee breathes heavily after that battle and checked the status of Hikaru, hoping he was alive. Things were not looking good. He was continuously getting either hammered or he was dodging Dark Pulses fired by a Mandibuzz and Brycen Man. She had all but forgotten that Kisara was still there. The reminder came in the form of a Dragon Claw which she _barely_ avoided. She was scraped a bit but not too badly. This was a problem. She did not want to deal with Kisara right then. As soon as Kisara got in range, she vanishes.

Hikaru found himself flattened on the ground. Even in his transformed state, somehow Brycen Man was winning against him. Hikaru struggled to stand only to be knocked away by a Dark Pulse followed by several smaller ones.

"Is this all you can muster boy?"

Hikaru was breathing heavily at this point. He was battered and barely able to stand. He hated to admit it but he was probably going to die. Kisara was suddenly mobbed again, distracting her so she wouldn't get in the way. Banshee hid in the open, her body completely invisible as well as her presence. She wondered if she should help Hikaru. She knew she should, that much was obvious. But she was conflicted. She saw how different Brycen Man and Hikaru were. She once held the man in high esteem but now? She didn't know what to do. And then she remembered his words. That nobody would treat her the way he did and that she was an outcast. She belonged to him apparently. That was when Hikaru came and burned that theory to ashes.

"Well boy, I think it's time to say your last words...I can tell your energy is depleted so I will make this quick..."

Brycen Man extended his staff and began to charge it with powerful dark energies. The ground trembled beneath him as he shook the foundations. Banshee looked between Hikaru and Brycen Man as the conflict within her raged. As the blast charged she looked over at Hikaru and remembered the way he helped her and in a sense _forgave_ her. In that instant, as the massive Dark Pulse fired off, she made the most risky choice of her life. She chose Hikaru. She flickered into view and shoved Hikaru out of the way of the fast moving blast. Hikaru looked back as he saw Banshee get atruck.

"NYX!" Hikaru shouted as the dust lifted after the explosion.

Hikaru rushed over to the battered form of Nyx as she collapsed into his arms. His eyes began to well up with tears as he looked down into her now gold and silver hues. The contacts were gone this time.

"H-hey...Lucario _boy..._ " She emphasized the word boy once more, even in her dying state.

"Why did you do that? Why did you-"

She silenced him with her finger again. This made him start to cry even more.

"I...did it because...I love you...idiot. Or...did you not...read the letter?" She breathed, using all her strength to speak.

"Yes...I did read it...and I feel the same. I love you too Nyx...but...why do this when you didn't have to? Why? I don't underst-" he was stopped when she pulled him into one last kiss, filling his body with the last ounce of energy she could muster, saving some to say one more thing.

"I didn't want to see...or imagine...a world without...you. I realize that the sins I have committed were unredeemable and yet...and yet...you didn't condemn me. Instead you forgave me...and that's why...that's why I love you...now...please...defeat Brycen Man...if you...think you're...man enough..."

Her life force left her and then she vanished. Her body faded in his arms. Undeniable sorrow, intermingled with rage filled Hikaru's very being as he wept bitterly over Nyx.

"That is too bad...to think that my second in command would sink to such low levels to be with someone as pitiful as you. I guess that makes her the worse offender now doesn't it?" Brycen Man cackled.

"Shut up..." Hikaru spat coldly.

He was now on his feet with renewed vigor. He was still visibly in pain but the look in his eyes was one that made even Banshee's look mild by comparison. His body soon lit up with a bright violet aura which Kisara immediately recognized.

"So you still wish to fight? Fine. I shall give you a quick death! Prepare to die Lucario Boy!" Brycen Man declared as he gathered more dark energy into his staff.

Hikaru extended his right hand and violet electrical currents forged by draconic energies crackled across his arm and around his body as the aura intensified.

"Don't do it Hikaru!" Asami called out, thinking it was Final Gambit again.

"That isn't what you think it is, and I doubt he can hear you over the noise this place is making Asami!" Kisara called to her.

"DIE LUCARIO BOY!" Brycen Man roared as he fired his _massive_ Dark Pulse, generated by the power of his staff and modifications.

Hikaru didn't say a word. Soon the power he'd been gathering was released from his hand with a deafening _boom._ The blast erupted from his hand and rocketed towards Brycen Man. The blast collided with Dark Pulse and the two powers fought for dominance.

"Using Final Gambit again will only make it easier for me! You will die anyway!"

Hikaru didn't speak. Instead, the dragon spoke form him as the blast formulated into its true form, its mouth gaping wide and sending out an ear shattering roar.

"WHAT?!"

The Dragon Pulse devoured the Dark Pulse and traveled along unhindered...and tore Brycen Man asunder. The mouth of the dragon opened up and blasted Brycen Man into a wall, creating a massive explosion. When the dust cleared, there were charted remains of where Brycen Man would be...if he were not the very same pile of ashes on the ground which soon, were blown away by the wind. Kisara simply smirked at her protege. He had finally done it. But it was too bad it had to be under those circumstances.

 **X-X-X**

Several days passed since it occurred. Hikaru was in the Cafe Sonata, only this time he wasn't playing. He was sitting down with a latte, still torn over her death. How could that have happened. He sighed softly as he stood up, remembering when he had been forcefully turned around to meet her gaze. The wave of nostalgia was almost to great for him to bare. As he thought about it, a hand appeared on his shoulder. A sigh escaped his lips as he thought it was Kisara. She had come with him for support. And then...something unexpectedly familiar happened. He was turned around rather quickly and me met with a set of violet eyes and dyed crimson hair.

"Can I help you?" Hikaru inquired.

"That depends..." A _very_ familiar voice stated, causing Hikaru's eyes to go wide as the familiar form of Banette poked her head out with a giggle.

The young woman draped her arms around Hikaru's neck and looked deep into his eyes before speaking.

"Are you man enough...Hikaru?"

The credits began to role and everyone began to cheer. Some cried and others were shocked. They had not expected Nyx to be alive at the end. That was one heck of a twist. The entire theatre was applauding. The night was one HUGE success.

 **And that is the end of that! So, how did you like it? It was probably the longest two part chapter series I have done so far. I want to thank PG-13 for his ideas in the making of this movie. The ending was his idea. I hope this was enjoyable! I had a heck of a time writing it. It was fun and I hope you all liked it. Stay tuned for more of Icy Wrath!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Good morning everyone! How goes it? I am baaaaack! I know it's been a while since the previous update so upon request of one of you, here is something some of you may or may not have wanted to see. I do hope you are all enjoying everything so far. Now without further ado, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon! All of its characters as well as content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 34: Cynthia's Challenge!**

The evening had been a total success. There were several people lining up to get autographs from the stars of the film. Cynthia was obviously getting the most attention. Everyone admired her and some aspired to be like her in some ways. The group had barely managed to get out of the theatre before getting bum rushed. Katsu sighed as the madness continued. He needed a break and it didn't appear as though one was going to come...until he caught a glimpse of a rather peculiar look on Cynthia's face. Her gaze was focused on him entirely as if she were contemplating something.

"Katsu," Cynthia called out, causing the crowd to cease all vocal activity as Cynthia made her way through the gathering, people parting out of respect.

Katsu's sapphire irises fixated themselves upon her visage. Her cold gray hues stared back into his for but a moment before a smile curved onto her features. Whispers began to run through the crowd. Katsu was the champion of the World Tournament while Cynthia was the champion of the Sinnoh League. Two individuals of their caliber meeting in one place could only lead to one thing.

"You know...it just occurred to me that you were the one who won the World Tournament. That's quite an achievement. Would you mind showing me what you are capable of?"

Katsu blinked. Did he just get challenged by the champion of the Sinnoh League? More whispers shot through the crowd as he stared back at her. He knew he wouldn't be able to defeat a champion like her, however, the thrill of battling someone _far_ stronger than he was would not be passed up. A smirk crossed his features as he nodded, confirming that he accepted her challenge. Jay and Alice both exchanged glances. Was he crazy?

"Glad to see you are willing...now, shall we get started?"

"You bet..." Katsu grinned, causing the crowd to part for the match to take place.

 **X-X-X**

"That's our Katsu...always up for a challenge no matter who it is," Alice chuckled.

"Go get her Tsu!" Jay called out, getting a curious look from Gen.

 _'Is that like... Your pet name for him?'_

 _'Yes...I would say Kat but that just sounds...'_

 _'Girly?'_

 _'Yeah...that...'_

 _'You do realize that Tsu isn't much better right?'_

 _'He's_ _ **my**_ _boyfriend...I will call him whatever I want Gen.'_

 **X-X-X**

Katsu was glad to hear Jay cheering for him. Just here being there was enough support for him. He needed to carefully consider who to use. This was not going to be an easy fight.

"I suppose I will start us off. Garchomp, battle dance!"

And there he was, in all his glory. The face of Cynthia's team as now staring Katsu down. Katsu didn't know whether or not to feel excited or intimidated. He needed to formulate a strategy for this. But there didn't seem to be a clear cut one at the time. He knew Garchomps key weakness and decided to aim for that.

"Azumarill let's go!"

The aqua rabbit bounced into position and glanced up at Garchomp and then back at Katsu.

 _'Who are we facing? She looks tough...'_

 _'Tough doesn't begin to cut it. She's a champion, and she just challenged me to a battle...'_

 _'Well, you're a champion too right?'_

 _'Heh...comparing me to her in that light huh? Trust me Azumarill...she is leagues above me in power...'_

 _'That strong huh?'_

 _'Yeah...so be on guard...'_

"Garchomp, use Brick Break!"

"Bounce and use Aqua Jet!"

Garchomps' claw began to glow and in a burst of sonic speed he rocketed off towards Azumarill, creating a sonic boom in the process which made everyone cover their ears. Marill _barely_ avoided the oncoming assault before launching into action. His body, now cloaked in water, shot straight down at Garchomp. As he neared he notices that Garchomp wasn't moving. Was Cynthia going to let him take a direct hit? Soon, Marill closed the gap with a loud _splash!_ What Katsu saw next surprised him quite a bit. Jay's mouth opened slightly, as did Alice's. Garchomp had his wings crossed over his form and had completely _stopped_ Azumarill in his tracks. Azumarill sweat-dropped at this as he knew this would not end well. He quickly bounced away before it got ugly.

"So that's one of the combos I heard about huh? I wondered what it would be able to do to Garchomp. This could get real interesting..."

"Yeah...I gotta say, your Garchomp is the first to withstand that...but can he do it again?" Katsu grinned.

"Why don't we find out? Dragon Rush!"

"Aqua Jet and Ice Punch!"

Garchomp's body began to glow and soon he was shrouded in an azure light. The power he radiated was suppressing to say the least. He took off in a burst of speed, the Dragon Rush forming into a blazing inferno as he aimed for Azumarill. Said water rabbit launched himself towards Garchomp, cloaking himself in aquatic energies that quickly froze as the cold overtook it. Cynthia's eyes widened only slightly as she had seen this done. However seeing it up close was a different matter altogether. There was a loud _crash_ as the two combatants collided. Ice scattered everywhere and steam spread out all over. When it all settled, Garchomp was still standing but Azumarill was out cold.

"That was quite impressive...if your Azumarill were any stronger...that would have been closer..." Cynthia observed as Katsu returned his friend.

"I hadn't expected that...normally Azumarill is able to do quite a bit of damage. I guess this complicates things more now doesn't it?" Katsu chuckled.

"Let's see what else you're capable of Katsu...I know you can do better than that..." Cynthia challenged.

Katsu smiled nervously at that remark. Honestly, he had hoped that Azumarill would have done more damage. But as it stood, he clearly didn't do much. Katsu reached down and grabbed Liepards ball and hurled it onto the field. Liepard appeared in all of her elegance and crouched low before her foe.

 _'Why do I get the feeling this won't be easy?'_

 _'You are right to assume that Liepard...however, I am not one to give up without a fight...'_

 _'I see, well I will do my best. I always do that for you don't I?'_

 _'Yes...now, let's get started.'_

"Feint Attack!"

 _'Then use Night Slash.'_

The crafty feline grinned devilishly as she flickered from view, predatory instincts kicking in as she bolted silently along the ground. As she made her approach, something was glaringly wrong. Garchomp spotted her _just_ as she appeared.

"Brick Break!"

With an almighty swing, Garchomp lashed out at Liepard and slammed his claw into her, sending her tumbling end over end until she finally landed in front of Katsu in a heap.

 _'Can someone get the number of that bus?'_

Liepard passed out.

"Well...that happened..." Katsu sighed as he returned Liepard.

"You did your best...no worries..." Katsu chuckled, reaching for another teammate.

 **X-X-X**

"Wow...I knew Cynthia was strong but...two one hit knockouts? That's just...yikes..." Alice blinked, watching intently.

 _'Don't give up Tsu...'_ Jay thought as she continued watching.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu reached for Excadrill's ball since he had handed Tin I to Jay for a while. Said dragon popped out of her ball and looked around. She saw hr papa, Katsu, battling someone who appeared very strong. She looked up at her momma, Jay with a curious gaze.

"Excadrill' let's go!"

Katsu fired the mole-like Pokémon into the fray. Excadrill was another powerful part of Katsu's team. The dual typing would help tremendously here. At least...that was what Katsu hoped. Excadrill surveyed the situation and then glanced back at Katsu.

 _'Good to see you again Katsu...it's been a while since we fought together...'_

 _'Yeah...it has. And I think you are gonna enjoy this. This is Cynthia and she is a_ _ **very**_ _strong opponent. So I need you to be at your best...'_

 _'I shall do what I can. I helped you win before...I will do my best here...'_

 _'Thanks partner...'_

"Excadrill Dig and use Hone Claws!"

Excadrill obeyed, diving underground swiftly as he was directed. His claws shimmered as he drilled beneath the surface. His attack power was thus boosted and he was now ready to strike, approaching at an alarming rate from below. Garchomp once more made no move to evade. Soon, Excadrill began to surface. He bursted out of the ground at intense speeds.

"Brick Break, now!"

"Drill Run!"

Garchomp's claw slammed down hard onto Excadrills combined claws. Excadrill continues to push against Garchomp's weight. Sparks flew from the collision and Excadrill continued to spin and push. After a few more seconds, Garchomp gained the upper hand and put his full weight into the strike and sent Excadrill slamming into the ground. The impact was more than the Ground-type could handle. He passed out on impact.

Katsu wordlessly returned Excadrill and looked up at Cynthia. Standing before him was an absolute pillar of strength. Why would she, a champion, decide to battle someone who had six badges and hardly any fully evolved Pokémon? She was dominating the match so far and for some reason...she was smiling. Katsu reached down to his belt and pulled out Darumaka's ball and tossed it with confidence onto the field. Darumaka rolled to a stop and opened his eyes. He had been asleep, but now his inner fire had ignited and he was ready. He began to dance around and shout excitedly.

"He's an excitable one isn't he?" Cynthia chuckled.

"You have no idea..." Katsu laughed as the little fireball danced around Garchomp. The dragon was clearly not amused.

"Darumaka, keep moving and use incinerate in the process!"

Cynthia blinked as she watched Darumaka begin to hop around, firing off bursts of flame that struck Garchomp continuously. As Darumaka stopped in front of Garchomp, a big grin plastered itself onto Darumaka's face as he opened his mouth.

"Draco-Meteor!"

Garchomp took another blast from Darumaka as the little red ball continued to bounce around. Garchomp launched an orange blast into the air that exploaded into hundreds of flaming meteor shaped projectiles which began to crash into the ground below.

 _'I'M A FIRIN' MAH LA-!'_

BOOM!

A meteor struck Darumaka hard and left him knocked out and covered in soot. Katsu palmed his face as he returned Darumaka. He shook his head and gripped Rufflet's ball.

"I gotta say...he was probably the most annoying...if I didn't do that he would have kept bouncing around..."

"Yeah...he does that. You get used to it after a while," Katsu laughed.

 **X-X-X**

 _'Momma, is Papa gonna be okay?'_

 _'He will Tini...he is just having some fun is all. Papa is a silly head at times. But...that's why I love him.'_

 _'I see...do you think Papa will win?'_

 _'Honestly, I don't think he minds losing. As long as he has fun, he doesn't care about the outcome...save for if someone is in danger.'_

 _'I see, so Papa is very noble. Are you and Papa going to stay together Momma?'_

This question puzzled Jay. A blush crossed her features as she thought of it. She did love Katsu. More than he would ever think possible. What he had done for her was incredible. She used to be so unbelievably shy, and now? She was more outgoing. She glanced back at Tini and smiled.

 _'I believe we will dear Tini, I really believe we will...'_

 **X-X-X**

"Rufflet, let's go!"

The majestic eaglet appeared in a shimmer of sparkles, spreading his wings as he soared above the now gawking crowd. Cynthia seemed mildly impressed as her eyes widened, but only slightly.

"You know, it's one thing to see it on the TV...it's another to see it up close. I've heard that Rufflet evolve into something quite powerful, even though they are strong in their own right. We don't have such a bird in Sinnoh...so I don't know what to expect. Let's see if he can fare any better."

"We will see. Ruffled, Tailwind!"

 _'Yes father!'_

Rufflet flapped his wings powerfully before taking off. The wind picked up quite a bit as he soared around Garchomp. The eaglet eyed his prey, looking for any possible weaknesses to exploit. As far as he could tell, Garchomp kept himself guarded. This would not be easy.

"Steel Wing!"

"Brick Break!"

Ruffled spread his wings wide as he screeched his challenge. His wings shone like steel as they were coated in the metallic aura. He soon took off, catching his Tailwinf to boost him. Garchomp watched his plan of attack and then lashed out at the incoming eaglet, clipping him on his wing. Rufflet as sent sprawling back but managed to remain in the air. Rufflet circled around for another only to have another claw hammered into the back of his neck, sending him crashing into the ground. Rufflet struggled to get up, however he was too weak and soon fell over in a heap.

Jay and Alice blinked as the tough little eaglet was down for the count. Rufflet had been able to weave his way around just about anything before, but Garchomp was too fast. Katsu was down to his last teammate. Everyone in the crowd knew who it was that Katsu had left. Katsu returned Rufflet and smiled to himself.

"Well, it looks like it's all down to this," Katsu stated as he expanded Riolu's ball.

"Ah, your Riolu. I must say, I was looking forward to this part. I saw you two spar and I almost thought I was seeing things. But...then I saw you use a move like a Pokémon and well...that caught my interest. I have been wanting to battle you since the shoot. Can't say that I am disappointed though. You really do have skill, despite what the score is here..." Cynthia complimented.

"Thanks, though you are kicking my butt over here...I am enjoying this. So why don't we finish this with a bang? Riolu, you're up partner!"

The bipedal canine exploded onto the field in a three point stance. His crimson hues flickered towards Garchomp who looked down at him with a stoic gaze. Riolu looked back at Katsu, the question in his eyes remaining unasked. Was he the last one? The situation at hand seemed to deem him as such. Both he and Garchomp locked eyes once more.

 _'So...would this count as a test after all the training we went through?'_

 _'Yeah...I would say that this is the biggest test we will ever have...'_

 _'I had a feeling that we would end up battling her. So...who challenged who?'_

 _'She initiated it...I obviously agreed. As we suspected, she is impossibly strong.'_

 _'I can feel that. She seems to have taken everyone out but me with her Garchomp. He is trained well...this could get nasty...'_

 _'I know. Just do your best, let's show her what we can do...'_

 _'Right!'_

Katsu's eyes flashed brilliantly as he returned his focus to Cynthia. A smirk crossed her visage as she saw the look in his eyes. This was going to be fun.

"Dragon Rush!"

 _'Extreme Speed!'_

Garchomp cloaked himself in draconic energies as he shot towards Riolu. He knew he was faster, however, since Tailwind was still in play...Whoosh! Garchomp rocketed by right as Riolu suddenly vanished. Garchomp whirled around and blocked an oncoming roundhouse. Riolu pushed off of Garchomp and landed on his toes as usual.

"Brick Break!"

 _'Vacuum Wave!'_

Garchomp powered up his claws and slashed downwards at Riolu. The little blue canine leapt aside and warded Garchomp off by firing a powerful burst of aura in the dragon's direction, buffeting him slightly. Dust clouded everyone's vision as the crowd continued to watch.

"Giga Impact!"

What Riolu felt next, he couldn't put into words. It was as if someone had taken a sledgehammer that was four times his size and rammed it hard into his chest because that is exactly where Garchomp's head wound up. He was sent skidding across the ground, bouncing sideways into a roll before laying face up before Katsu. He was hurt badly after that assault. Much to Cynthia's surprise, as well as everyone else's, he was still conscious.

 _'You took quite a hit there bud...but I think it's obvious where this is headed...'_

 _'As true as that may be...Katsu, I am afraid that I cannot give up just yet.'_

 _'I know...but you're hurt and I don't th-'_

 _'I said I am continuing!'_ Riolu shot back, rising to a stand by whatever strength he could muster.

 _'Katsu...you believed in me for the longest time. We fought many battles together...didn't we? I helped you win your first and second badges. We fought side by side against Team Plasma. We always came out on top. I remember our first meeting clearly. It was great sparring you. We had quite a few since then haven't we? You have been my friend from the moment I chose you. Now it is time for me...to finally show you what our friendship means to me..'_

At that moment, Riolu's eyes flashed brightly and soon his entire body erupted with a powerful aura. His fighting spirit had been ignited and he was soon engulfed in a bright white light that grew in intensity. The ground shook from the aura output. Onlookers gaped as the transformation took and debris kicked up everywhere. It soon died down and who would be standing in place of the loveable Riolu but a Lucario. Garchomp's eyes darted towards Lucario as the dust settled.

"Well I'll be...congrats on the Lucario. This fight just got more interesting..." Cynthia grinned.

Katsu looked down at his companion who was now significantly taller than before. Riolu had _finally_ evolved.

 _'Well...this feels different... It will take some getting used to.'_

 _'Yeah, your body is now basically hard as steel. In essence, you're dual typed now. How about we take that new body for a test run?'_

 _'I think that would be a grand idea...partner..'_

Jay smiled happily as she saw that Lucario had finally come into the picture. She knew that it was only a matter of time before it happened. She wondered just what new tricks he would know.

 _'Looks like you have a new technique...ready for it?'_

 _'You have no idea...'_

"Dragon Rush!"

 _'Aura Sphere!'_

Lucario extended his paws to the side and behind as he began gathering powerful azure aura into them. A blue sphere began to form, vibrating viciously as it was being created. The roar of the dragon before him prompted Lucario to fire off his attack post haste. The sphere of aura connected with a resounding BANG! Garchomp was sent skidding back on his clawed feet with his wings crossed before him.

 _'Extreme Speed and use Sky Uppercut!'_

Lucario practically teleported from view, moving _a lot_ faster than before. He appeared in front of Garchomp with bent knees, using the power gained to spring upward, swinging his paw skyward to capitalize on the gained speed from Extreme Speed. The result sent Garchomp flying into the air as he had barely managed to soften the blow with his wings.

 _'After him and use Force Palm!'_

"Brick Break!"

Garchomp righted himself in the air and darted down towards Lucario. The bipedal canine rocketed upwards, aura alight on his right paw as he drew it back, launching it forward to strike. Garchomp swung his claw down and the two attacks met with devastating force. The resulting shockwave pushed the crowd back a few feet. Cynthia and Katsu stood their ground as they watched. A cloud of smoke was the result of the impact and from that cloud a blue blur came rocketing down, landing with a loud _thud._

Silence reigned as everyone looked to see what happened. There, lying on the ground, was Lucario. He was obviously out of it and no longer fit for battle. The crowd remained silent for a bit longer before cheering wildly. Katsu walked over to Lucario and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder as he slowly awoke. Garchomp stood on his feet and stared Lucario down intently. He was worn out as well though not nearly as bad as Lucario. The follow-up Brick Break was a bit too fast for Lucario to handle.

 _'You did well Lucario...you made me proud.'_

 _'Thank you Katsu, my friend. I am glad to hear that.'_

 _'We should get you fixed up...have a good rest partner...'_

Katsu returned Lucario and smiled to himself. He looked up to meet the eyes of Cynthia who was also smiling.

"Well, that certainly was fun. You and your Pokémon seem to have a wonderful connection. You fought as one here and even in defeat you still seem to show that same confidence you had when I challenged you. Perhaps we will battle again some day. If you ever find yourself in Sinnoh...you know how to get to me..." Cynthia smirked.

"I will keep that in mind. I definitely want to fight you again. I'll train hard so that next we meet...it won't end the same way."

"I look forward to it Katsu Aiko. For now...I have a plane to catch. I enjoyed working with you and hope to do so more in the future..."

"Ahem..." Came Frederick's cough as he got Cynthia's attention.

"Yes?"

"Well, Cynthia...since you starred in this movie, fans are demanding another with you in it. Just look at these numbers! And well...since the trailer footage for the next movie has already been shot...and with you being in it..."

"Does this mean?"

"You have to come back? Yeah...they got me with that too..."

"Huh. Clever... Very well then...maybe we will bet to practice together again my little protege..." Cynthia smirked.

Jay walked up beside Katsu and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey...you okay?" Jay asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had fun."

Jay let out a relieved sigh and then hugged Katsu tightly, planting a firm kiss on his lips before nuzzling happily into his chest.

"Well everyone, I'm off. Katsu, keep training...I want to see how much stronger you are next time."

"Don't worry Cynthia, I promise I won't disappoint."

"I will hold you to that Katsu...ciao for now."

 **X-X-X**

Cynthia got on her flight back to Sinnoh and Katsu and the others checked into a Pokemon Center for the night. Katsu, Jay and Alice all began to head to their respective rooms. Jay lingered a bit outside of hers when Alice turned in for the night. Katsu stopped in front of Jay who looked up at him with a bright smile.

"You did so great Tsu..." Jay giggled cutely.

"I'm gonna have to get used to that name aren't I?"

"Yep! Because I'm not changing it."

"Didn't think so. Anyway...thank you...for the support. I know that I can always count on you to have my back."

"You're welcome love...I will always be there cheering you on."

"I am happy to hear that. We'll, I guess we should go. We have to take a long trip back tomorrow. We need all the rest we can get," Katsu yawned.

He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Jay's, causing her to blush slightly as the warmth of his lips encompassed hers. She leaned into the kiss and deepened it, lingering for a few seconds as if having no desire to let go. They pulled back and simply looked at one another before stepping back.

"Goodnight...Jay."

"Goodnight, Tsu..." Jay beamed, turning around to enter her room, closing the door.

 **And that's all she wrote! Well, what did you think? It was to be expected but hey, he got a Lucario in the process right? Cynthia is just ridiculously powerful and as I have said before, she is my favorite champion. So, what new adventure awaits our heroes? Find out next time on Icy Wrath! Also, credit to PG-13 for the idea of having Riolu evolve here. Go read his stuff! It's awesome!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Oh! Hai dere readers! I must apologise for this taking so long. I have been in a writing slump for a while buuuuuut I have finally been able to muster up the strength to push out another chapter! So, what do I have planned? To tell you the truth, this is the first chapter that I didn't actually write. This chapter was prepared by PG-13 himself. You have all heard me talk about him, and he has been helping me a lot lately. Jay is his OC if I haven't praised him enough for letting me use her in this story, she is amazing! Anyway. This is not my work, save for a very short bit at the beginning. I needed to tie some things together so you all aren't staring at your screens confused out of your minds. His writing style differs from mine a bit but I promise you will like it. There will be a special announcement at the end of this chapter, so make sure to read everything! Now, without further ado, I give you a work by the man, the myth, the legend himself, PG-13!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon! All of its characters and content are owned by Game Freak and Nintendo.**

 **Chapter 35: A Haunting Experience**

Katsu awoke early the next morning, his thoughts still on the battle with Cynthia. He had Lucario now, which was amazing. He could not have asked for anything better. He was incredible. But Cynthia was just too much to handle. By Arceus she was powerful. Her mere presence would make a grown man tremble. And yet, there she was, challenging him in a no holds bar battle. He'd never been that fired up since he battled Jay. Albeit other things began to enter his line of thought that were never there before. He shook those thoughts from his mind and stood up. The moment he did, his X-Transceiver rang.

"Who could that be?" He muttered as he picked it up. The moment he did, he saw three faces pop up on the screen.

"Oi, Katsu! How'd everything go?" Hugh inquired.

"The movie was a hit. Probably the best one they put out due to a certain someone appearing in it," Katsu laughed.

"We saw! Did you seriously get to work with Cynthia! Dude, you dog! It's been my dream to be able to meet her. I'm jealous dude," Goken laughed.

"Katsu, why the hell are you so lucky? Seriously, from what Hugh tells me, it's like good stuff just happens to you whenever you set foot _anywhere,_ " Maikeru chuckled.

"Beats me Maikeru. By the way Goken, if you think that me just working with her is cool enough...I got to battle her too."

There was a loud silence.

"WHAT!?" All three exclaimed. Yes, they were jealous.

"Well, to be fair, she challenged me." This statement did not help his case.

"Like I said dude, you walk into a place and good things happen. I swear dude, it's like Arceus blessed you with perpetual good luck," Maikeru sniggered, mostly because Goken was now brooding with envy.

"That's it! When you release the next movie, I'm coming with you guys!" Goken declared.

"You can all come for all I care. The more the merrier."

"So, Katsu, are you and Jay...you know? Doing 'that?'" Maikeru wondered.

Katsu's face flushed slightly at this remark. He didn't know how to reply to that inquiry. Of course they weren't.

"No, and I had a feeling one of you would ask me that. It doesn't help that my mother is now pushing the idea of grandkids. She's 35 for Arceus sake!"

The group went into a fit of laughter.

"Anyway, Katsu. We've all met up and we want to see you guys in Lentimas town. Though, by the time you guys get there we might be asleep. Just meet us in the morning," Hugh stated.

"Alright, I will let the others know," Katsu replied.

"Later Katsu!" They chorused before winking out.

 **X-X-X**

The moment Jay stepped foot in Lentimas Town, something felt off. Maybe it was the hot, dry air from the town being near a volcano, maybe it how she was slightly dizzy from the plane ride. (or that might have been because she got to hold hands with Katsu the entire flight.)

But what got to her was the fact she thought she saw a little girl staring at her as she got off the plane. She, for some reason, couldn't see the eyes of the little girl because of the shadows of her hair.

'Ab…'

The little girl raised her arm out, as if inviting Jay somewhere.

"Jay?"

She turned her gold and silver eyes towards him, her boyfriend. The look of concern in his eyes made her want to sigh in relief. Oh Arceus, he was still so worried for her? Man what did she do to deserve him?

She smiled sweetly back at him. "I'm fine Tsu, just getting my ground legs back up."

She then turned back, but saw no sign of the girl that was bringing her hand out. She searched a bit, but couldn't find her. Was she just hallucinating?

 _'Jay? Are you sure alright?'_ Rif asked.

 _'I'm fine Rif, just a little dizzy is all.'_ She responded.

Meanwhile, Dusk looked up in the air.

 _'Something wrong Dusk?'_ Gen asked. Something seemed to unnerve the usually calm Dusk, and to be honest, the idea of Dusk being nervous was starting to make Gen nervous.

 _'… I thought I… I'm not sure really. Keep your guard up.'_

The two went into the shadows and trailed behind Katsu and Jay.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Katsu asked again.

"Seriously, I'm OK Tsu, just a little sleep and I'm good to go!" Jay responded to him. "Let's meet up with the others, I'll be fine." She assured him,"

"We're going to be staying overnight at the Pokémon center anyway, so rest up OK? We'll have quite the climb up Reversal Mountain." Katsu relaxed and decided to trust her.

"I will," She then went up to him and pecked him in the cheek. "Thank you for caring for me.~" She flushed as she said this with a smile.

Katsu shook his head, but smiled as well. Only Jay could make him feel like this.

Meanwhile, a figure of a little girl simply smiled as she viewed Jay's and Katsu's leaving figure.

'Ab… ra…'

[Later]

At midnight, Jay tossed and turned in her sleep.

 _'Daddy… Daddy… where are you…?'_ Jay started to mumble in her sleep as she kept hearing the voice of a little girl.

Then, a dark voice entered into her mind. _'Dear… forget about the Lunar Wing… forget about it… come with me… into the darkness…'_

 _'Daddy…'_ The sad voice echoed into her head.

 _'Come with me my child… embrace me… let us go into the darkness together… COME!'_

Jay woke up, gasping for breath, all small miscellaneous items lifted into the air from the spike in her powers. Her breathing slowed and she placed everything down slowly.

Amazingly, despite her show off power, her ghost trio was deep asleep. Jay wondered what that was before going back to sleep.

She was unaware of the dark shadow smiling at her from her window.

[Next morning]

Jay yawned loudly as she traveled with Katsu and the others towards Reversal Mountain.

Katsu smiled at her as she yawned. It was amazing how cute she was the way she rubbed her eyes.

As the group made their way out of Lentimas Town, they noticed a girl in the distant path.

"What's she doing so far out of town? Little girl!?" Jay called out to the girl, but the figure seemingly giggled in the distance and ran away.

Katsu and Jay both shared a worried glance. Both of them would never let a little girl wander on her own, so they went after the girl.

They went down the off beaten road until they saw an old looking house in the distance.

Katsu felt hesitant as he viewed the old house. It was an inanimate object, but it made his Aura senses sharpen and tense. It was as if the house itself was… alive…

"Jay, wait," He called out to her. "Something is off about that house."

Dusk appeared before the two of them. _'He's right Jay, there's some kind of force behind that house. It's not just messing with my powers, I think it's affecting Katsu and You (Lucario) as well.'_

"The the more we have to help! The little girl could be in trouble!" Jay exclaimed as she walked adamantly towards the house.

"Wait." Maikeru said as Katsu stopped and Jay went ahead. "I remember once overhearing some of the town folks talking about an abandoned haunted house outside of town. I think this place is it."

"So is this the place then?" Goken asked for confirmation.

Katsu quickly looked back at Jay trying to enter the house when suddenly he felt a huge spike of energy. "Jay! Get out of there now!"

However, Katsu called her the moment she touched the door knobs. The doors burst open and an invisible force yanked Jay into the house with the door slamming shut after her being taken in. Drif was horrified to see his trainer be captured and quickly tried to phase into the house after her, but the moment he touched it, he was repelled backward violently by some dark energy.

"JAY!?" Katsu roared in worry. He and the others quickly ran up to the door, but before Katsu could even launch a Vaccum wave towards the door to break it down, two ghost types were ejected out of the walls of the house.

Maikeru and Goken paled as they saw the Pokémon sprawled before them.

"Dusk! Gen!" Katsu cried out as he kneeled down to them.

 _'Katsu… something's… powerful…'_ Was all Dusk managed to squeak before he and Gen fell unconscious.

Katsu took out his blade. "Goken! Get Jay's ghosts to the center! Maikeru and I are getting Jay back!" He then used his variant of Vacuum wave to break down the door.

Katsu quickly summoned every one of his Pokémon.

 _'What's up par—'_

 _'Not now Lucario! Jay's been kidnapped!'_ Katsu barked, making all of his Pokémon widen in shock.

 _'Momma's gone?'_ Tini whimpered.

 _'We're getting her back, I promise.'_ Katsu told the dragon type as he glanced around the rickety old home.

"Jay!? Where are you!? Jay!" He yelled out.

As he kept calling out her name, Maikeru noticed that some of the furniture in the room was twitching.

"Uhh… Katsu?" Maikeru pointed to the furniture.

Everyone watched as the twitching furniture around the room started to grow worse. All of the slightly dusty furniture started twitching… then shaking, to sporadically slamming around the ground as if they were having its seizure.

Everyone started to subconsciously circle around and group up as they watched the furniture violently shake louder and wilder, making the ground shake.

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut again, as if Katsu never broke them down in the first place.

And the furniture suddenly stopped, giving way to deathly silence.

Mikeru half panicked and brought out all of his Pokémon as well before trying the door and finding it locked.

"Oh crap that is so clichéd!" Mikeru cried out in panic.

"Maikeru, move!" Katsu claimed before blasting the doors again. However, this time the doors shrugged off the Vacuum Wave without a dent. "What!?" Katsu yelled out in surprise.

"Aww man!" Hugh and Alice chorused.

Katsu gripped his blade tighter, could they escape? And where was Jay!? Katsu was starting to beat himself up for not trying harder to stop Jay from being kidnapped. He should have listened to his instincts! … But Jay wanted to help that little girl, he couldn't fault her for that… By the way, where was that little girl?

 _'Uh… Katsu!?'_ Lucario urgently called out.

Katsu turned to his fighting type, only to see him and the rest of his Pokémon slowly backing up and Lucario pointing frantically on the top of the stairs in front of them.

Katsu and Maikeru turned their gaze upward to see the same little girl, with her eyes hidden beneath her hair, but smiling almost eerily at them.

 _'…er…'_ The Girl seemed to say something.

Katsu angrily stood ahead. "Where is Jay!? Give her back!" He roared angrily while gripping his blade.

The girl giggled before walking out of their sight.

"Get back here!" Katsu screamed before running after her.

"Katsu!" Maikeru cried out before looking to his Absol and following after him.

Katsu jumped on top of the stairs, blade ready and quickly viewed where the girl went. However, he was surprised to see that there were no doors and nothing but walls on the second floor.

"Jay!" Katsu cried again, frantically looking around for some kind of hint.

Maikeru and the other Pokémon finally caught up. But Maikeru gritted his teeth and walked up to Katsu. He grabbed Katsu in the shoulder, and when Katsu turned, Maikeru decked him in the face!

Everyone was surprised by that especially Katsu.

"What in Arceus—the hell did you do that for!?" Katsu cried as he rubbed the sore spot of his cheek.

Maikeru grabbed Katsu by the collar and glared at him in the eyes. "I did it to get our Katsu back! Because right now this violent and hot headed Katsu in front of me is going to get us and Jay killed at this rate! Think, Katsu! If you just bark around chasing anything that moves we're not gonna get anywhere here—let alone save Jay! So snap out of it and use your Aura!"

Katsu was pissed off by that, but he had a point. "… Thanks…" He gritted before trying to concentrate his aura to find Jay. However, as expected, he couldn't sense anyone beyond Maikeru and his own Pokémon. "No good!" he shouted.

"Calm down! We just need a plan. If only we knew what was going on here then maybe we'd have a better grasp at the situation." Maikeru barked.

 _'Katsu!'_ Lucario walked up to his partner before pointing to Maikeru's Absol. 'She says that she senses something.'

"Maikeru, I think your Absol is on to something." Katsu called out, explaining things to Maikeru and the others.

Maikeru turned to her. "Well, girl, we're wasting time. Any lead can help!" Absol nodded before jumping back down stairs.

Everyone quickly followed her, by actually having everyone jump down stairs after her. No one was going to take the stairs down at this time. (Ain't nobody got time for that!)

"There!" Maikeru pointed to a random, singular door underneath the western part of the house.

They all ran up and opened the door—

"AAAAHHHHH!"

"WWAAAAAHHHH!"

Katsu acted fast and almost blasted what came out of the door, before he stopped himself to see an older man with a huge back pack and a camera in his hand.

"Y-you guys scared me!" The man cried out.

"We scared you!? You scared us!" Maikeru accused.

"Who are you guys?" The man asked before he looked over to Katsu and his eyes widened. He pointed his camera and free hand to him in a surprised manner. "Oh my Arceus! You're Katsu Akio! I loved both of your movies!"

"Who are you?" Katsu asked impatiently.

"I'm 'Backpaker Boone'! I'm a humble webshow host whose show is about showing around some extreme places for my viewers back home," Boone introduced himself as he kept the camera on Katsu and the others. "I was just on my way to explore this haunted house for my next episode."

"Is there something behind you in that room?" Katsu asked again, not really paying attention before walking past him without waiting for an answer.

"Sorry about him. We're looking for a friend we think something kidnapped her here." Maikeru told the man.

"Something Kidnapped her!?" Boone cried out as he let Katsu through and he started inspecting the room. It just looked like a normal guest bedroom.

"Does this have anything to do with the Winkle family legend?" Boone asked.

The group blinked at that.

"What do you mean, Winkle Family?" Hugh inquired.

Boone blinked. "You don't know the legend of this place? Well as a part of my webshow, I also want to show my viewers that I can be pretty smart and educated and not just some handsome daredevil. I did some research on this place and found out that around fifty years ago, the last head of the family, Pir Van Winkle fell into a deep coma. The small time doctors of this town couldn't figure out what had caused it, but his daughter claimed that 'A beast' took her papa's soul away. One day, the town doctor was making his usual house call, but when he had arrived in this house he found it completely empty…"

Boone explained letting the others absorb the information. "But…"

"But?" The others gulped, save for Katsu.

"He swore he heard voices, cries of the little girl… and something else dark and evil…" Boone finished. "The Doctor ran for the hills, and since then the town has never set foot in this house again. Only the foolish or outsiders like us come in here."

Katsu stomped towards Boone. "But that doesn't explain why they took Jay!" He yelled in disbelief, frustrated that he found absolutely nothing in the room.

"Jay? You mean Jaycelyn Nalum? She's here too!? That girl is hot!" Boone asked as Katsu stormed off.

"Not helping…" Hugh deadpanned.

Boone seemed to realize something. "Wait!" He cried, chasing after Katsu. "There was something!"

"What?" Katsu asked quickly as he walked back out.

"The girl… she had an Abra. While I was gathering information here, the village elder told me that one day after their disappearance, he swore he saw a crying Abra teleporting away in the dead of night. I was told that the Abra and the girl were very close. It's kind of a stretch, since I've been also watching a few horror movies... but what if the girl mistook Ms. Nalum as her Abra?"

Katsu blinked. Jay was a psychic user, so maybe that theory was somewhat right. But if the girl mistook her for her Abra…

…u…

Everyone shifted around.

"D-d-d-d-did you guys hear that?" Boone asked. He was now starting to shiver.

"W-what was that!?" Maikeru asked.

Hugh looked at him. "Dude, are you trembling?"

"Shut up!"

…Tsu…

Katsu's eyes widened. He recognized that voice. "Jay!? Jay where are you!?" He frantically screamed out.

…Feather…

"What do you mean!? What feather!?" Katsu called out.

But there was nothing but silence.

Absol turned again, glaring towards a random wall.

"What's up girl?" Maikeru asked before looking at the wall.

There was an arrow pointing upwards back to the second floor.

But then! The wall paper above it started failing and falling out.

No. it almost looked like something was ripping up the wall paper and writing something down.

The tears wrote over the arrow and made it almost look like it was never there.

Instead there were only two words written on the ugly tears.

GET OUT!

Katsu clicked his tongue. Before rushing up the stairs, and ignoring the warning.

"Dang it Katsu!" Alice shouted.

Everyone, including Boone followed Katsu as he ran up the stairs, as he did, a strange sound filled the air.

Katsu and the others, looked to their side, and were surprised by flying furniture coming straight for them!

Everyone's Pokémon blasted the furniture, while Boone was secretly glad he was so recording all of this.

Katsu ran up the stairs again, but this time he saw another new door had appeared on the far left corner of the second floor that wasn't there before.

He kicked it down, and saw a girl meditating in the center of the room wearing a psychic trainer garb.

The girl looked angrily to whoever kicked the door down. "Have you no shame? You're angering the spirits by destroying this place."

"The spirits are already angry. What do you know about a feather?!" Katsu deflected and asked quickly.

Hugh and Alice sighed as they caught up with him. "Well at least, he's focused on the information…" Hugh muttered.

"Excuse me? Do you have any idea…" The psychic paused as she viewed over Katsu and Alice… "Hey… aren't you?"

"Oh yeah, they're famous actors!" Boone gushed from behind Hugh with his Camera. "And… who are you?"

The psychic sighed. "My name is Lynette. As you can see I am a psychic. I've been coming to this house to listen to what the spirits say in this place, but for some reason; even though I sense so much spiritual energy, I can't contact anyone from the beyond."

She then looked back to Katsu. "That is until recently I detected a large spike of paranormal activity. I even sensed something familiar to my own powers just a few seconds ago."

"That was Jay! Do you know anything about a feather!?" Katsu asked.

"Hold up… Jay? Jaycelyn Nalum?"

Katsu really felt annoyed by this. "Yes! Jaycelyn! She played Nyx and Banshee in my sequel…"

Katsu was interrupted as Lynette snapped her fingers in front of him to stop. "That was not the reason why I asked for her name. I knew her before she stared in that movie."

"Wait, you know Jay?" Alice asked.

Lyntte shook her head. "I probably worded that wrong. I know of her family and Namesake. The Nalum famous is among the psychic communities due to their strong connection with Ghost types and the beyond. Among the family is a psychic priestess, known as Emma Nalum, the Shrine Maiden of the Dead. She almost acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the dead. And rumors say that she makes sure that the dead stay in the afterlife. The Nalum family has a strong connection to the supernatural and when I saw the sequel, I could even feel a faint presence from her in a screen."

Lynette finished explaining before looking back at Katsu. "You said she was looking for a feather?"

"Yeah! But I don't know what she meant by that!" Katsu answered.

"And that doesn't explain what it has to do with the legend of the Winkle Family." Boone added in.

"Excuse me?" Lynette perked up. "Did you say this is relating to the Winkle Family?"

…We're finally going home…

Everyone glanced around as they heard a new voice, it sounded like a little girl's.

…Momma, Papa, Abra…

…We're finally together…

Maikeru looked back to Lynette. "Quick! What did you say about the Winkle Family!?"

Lynette nodded. "I'm sure you all know the basic legend," Everyone nodded easily. "But psychics and ghost buffs in our community noticed something off immediately. First off, you should know that there is a similar story of a ghost girl with an Abra around the Marvelous bridge area. Some people say that the ghost girl here and the ghost girl there are the same ones. The girl was waiting for something at marvelous bridge… something to stop 'the soul stealer'."

"W-what's the soul stealer?" Maikeru nervously asked.

"Ancient legends call it demon, but thanks to technology, this 'Soul Thief' is actually Darkrai, the legendary Pokémon of Nightmares. That 'coma' Pir Van Winkle fell into was more than likely a spell cast by Darkrai and the girl and her Abra obviously knew or sensed this. Using her Abra, she sought a cure for her father at Marvelous Bridge."

"What was at Marvelous Bridge?" Boone asked as he pointed his cam at her.

Lynette scoffed. "The girl must have been a psychic as well, or at least dabbled in our community. Because she recognized Darkrai's works immediately and sought the Pokémon that was its opposite: Cresselia, the Pokémon of the Lunar Moon. Marvelous bridge was the only recorded sighting of Cresselia ever coming to the Unova region besides its home island over in Sinnoh. With Cresselia's 'Feather', or Lunar Wing, you can break Darkrai's curse upon anyone."

She sighed. "But as we all know, something happened, and there was no happy ending. ... But… there might be a chance that the Lunar Wing is still here…"

"That must have been what Jay has been hinting too! But where is it!?" Katsu asked as he frantically looked around.

Lynette rolled her eyes before snapping her fingers again, and making everyone look at her.

"Ooo, I like her." Alice commented.

"Cresselia's Lunar Wing has a unique Psychic energy. It also explains that really odd feeling I've been sensing among the ghosts…" Lynette explained before she stopped mid sentence and just stared, her facing turning pale.

"Uhh… do you need to go to the bathroom?" Boone asked as everyone looked to him. "Because… I don't think I need to anymore…" Everyone stepped away from him.

"Ignoring that…" Lynette wearily said. "I… I don't sense it anymore."

"What do you mean?" Hugh asked.

"I've been telling you, the ghost activity of this house has been the highest I've ever felt in my life, and just a few seconds ago, it stopped. It Stopped. I don't sense a thing anymore." Lynette explained.

"T-that's a good thing… right?" Alice reasoned.

"We need to leave this room. Now!" Lynette barked, making everyone leave the room. As soon as they did, the door vanished into to the wall.

"Guys!?" Boone pointed from the balcony as he motioned with a horrified face towards the entrance of the house.

Everyone looked over to the ground floor and paled.

There was something human-shaped just standing there…

It's entire body was black and inky and it slowly turned its head towards the group.

Get.

"We need to leave!" Lynette cried out.

"I'm not leaving without Jay!" Katsu yelled back.

"Also, there are no more Windows and doors!" Boone was in near tears.

"GUYS!?" Alice pointed to the black monster slowly raising its hand towards them, and his shadow suddenly splitting into nine pieces.

OUT.

The nine shadows, burst out of the floors and materialized like wild streaks of evil. The Nine divided themselves to all three stairs and quickly rose towards the large group.

"RUN!" Boone cried as everyone complied and ran towards deeper into the second floor. However it wasn't much as they quickly found themselves in a dead end.

As the shadows raced towards the group, everyone had their Pokémon fire their attacks at the shadow blobs, but it did little to deter them.

"What do we do!?" Hugh asked.

"I-I don't know…" Katsu admitted.

"Wait! That odd sense!" Lynette cried out.

However, the nine shadows had caught up with them and towered over all of them before launching themselves right for them.

Everyone screamed, but then the shadows were suddenly repelled by a golden force field protecting everyone.

"What?" Katsu called out.

"Like I said, I think I sensed a different presence strongest here!" Lynette turned to the dead end behind them. "AHA!"

Everyone looked to their back and saw that their dead end, wasn't a dead end, but another doorway. This door was pink, and had flowers painted into it, almost looking like it belonged to a little girl.

The shadows banged on the force field and it started to fail.

"Everyone, in!" Lynette cried as she opened the door.

As everyone went in, the force field was getting weaker with the heavy punishment of the shadows.

As soon as Katsu got in, the force field broke! The shadows swarmed for Lynette and the door.

Katsu pulled her in, and everyone slammed the door shut behind them.

Everyone gasped for breath as they all pressed against the door for dear life.

Seconds, though it felt like hours, passed but there were no signs of those shadows getting in. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over to the room. It looked like it belonged to a little girl.

On the middle of the room was a golden, glowing object.

Katsu immediately, walked up to it and picked it up. "Is this it?" Katsu turned to Lynette.

The psychic nodded. "Yes. It's the Lunar Wing. We might be able to escape now with its power."

"And save Jay!" Katsu cried out.

"Yeah, there's no way we're leaving Jay here!" Alice cried out.

"You guys are crazy!" Lynette argued.

Boone sighed before puffing his chest. "I'm with them. I might be scared of ghosts, but I don't dare to show my face if I leave someone who I could have helped!"

Katsu smiled. "Thank you Boone. You're a lot cooler than I thought."

"Oh my gosh, Katsu Akio complimented me! Now I can die—which I really hope isn't today—happily!" Boone gushed.

"Well?" Maikeru laughed nervously. "Let's go show those shadows whose boss! Who ya gonna call!?"

"…"

"Hey! That was a great first movie!"

Katsu readied his blade and opened the door. He let the light of the Lunar Wing wash over his blade and fired another Vacuum Wave. This time, the attack had a golden hue to it and smashed through the shadows.

Everyone cheered wildly.

Katsu was in the lead, attacking any random furniture and shadows with the power of the Lunar Wing. They fought back to the stairs and back to the black shadow.

Katsu glared, pointed his blade to the thing, and demanded, "You have one last chance to give back Jay right now!"

The man shadows vanished into the ground. As he did, a dark stairway appeared where it was revealing that there was a basement deep beneath this house.

The house seemed to return normal. The windows and the doors returned, but the stairway stayed.

"I'm going down." Katsu declared as he made his way.

Everyone but Lynette followed.

"… Ugh! Screw it, abandoning someone would leave a horrible taste in my mouth." Lynette cried out before following everyone.

As she entered after them, the stairway closed behind her, making everyone trapped in the darkness with only the Lunar Wing to light their way.

"Well… no turning back now." Katsu said before descending downward.

They kept walking, but as they did, the darkness around them became denser, and the light of the Lunar Wing was slowly dimming.

…

"Jay?" Katsu called as they all entered into what felt like a basement.

Katsu poured his Aura into the Lunar Wing, and in a flash of light, revealed what was around them.

Everyone lurched.

There were shadows tendrils surrounding the entire basement, all slithering and moving as if they were alive.

But Katsu focused on the center of the cellar.

The Shadow man was there, standing next to a smiling ghost girl. There was a chair next to them, a female skeleton was seen sitting down as if the three were posing for a family picture. And beside the girl…

"JAY!" Katsu roared as he saw Jay entrapped in a dark cocoon nearby the ghost girl.

"… Tsu?" She managed to weakly call out.

"I'm getting you out of there right now!" Katsu cried before launching another empowered Vacuum Wave.

However, the shadow man motioned up ward and a wall of tendrils absorbed the hit.

Suddenly, the Shadow Man snapped his fingers and then everyone was ensnared by a tendril beanth them.

"Guys!?" Katsu cried before looking back, and seeing the shadow man right in front of him. Katsu, tried to use his blade, but the Shadow Man slapped it away, along with swatting the Lunar Wing out of Katsu's grasp.

"NO!" Katsu cried before he was ensnared by the Tendril. No matter what he did, he couldn't break free of these things.

Come my child…

Home awaits…

The shadow claimed darkly before it turned, seeing the ghost girl hold the Lunar Wing.

Leave the Lunar Wing…

We don't need it anymore…

"Ka… tsu…" Jay weakly called him out.

"Jay!" Katsu struggled again.

The ghost girl looked back at Jay. 'Ab…ra?'

"No…" Jay said.

Leave the Wing…

Come.

Come to Father.

The ghost girl looked back at the shadow calling itself Father, before looking back at Jay, then back to the Lunar Wing.

'… I want to return this.' The ghost girl said before vanishing and standing in front of Jay and putting the feather in front of her, freeing her from her cocoon.

Jay stood up and looked at the ghost girl.

'You aren't Abra?'

"No, I'm sorry. But I know she still loves you. She was just afraid…" Jay placed her hand on the cheek of the Ghost girl, she knew she could touch ghosts. Jay picked up the Lunar Wing and the Shadow Man snarled.

Jay glared at the shadow. "It's time you got your father back."

LEAVE!

The shadow man cried as the entire floor shook. Jay held the Lunar Wing close to her chest and closed her eyes.

Then all of the remaining tendrils launched themselves towards Jay.

However, at that moment, both of Jay's eyes opened up revealing her gold eye and silver glowing their respective colors.

In a burst of light, all the tendrils were burnt away and freed everyone else.

The Shadow Man was lit ablaze of gold and silver flames, and it trashed in pain erratically. Its human form started fading but expanding into a more abstract and unstable form. Like a giant black Muk, it stalked towards Jay.

Jay placed her palm forward. "No. You."

Then Jay extended her palm outwards, the light of the Lunar Wing enveloping it with intense power. Suddenly, a blast of pure light energy erupted from the center of her palm and tore through the darkness, dissipating it all in one go.

Glitters of light appeared after the shadows burned out, and they soon gathered all together and formed an middle age man.

'Daddy!' The girl cried out and hugged the ghostly man.

'… Oh! Oooh! My daughter… I thought I would never see you again…'

As the two held each other, the female skeleton returned to dust.

Everyone else stared at the two ghosts hugging one another.

The father ghost looked at all of them. 'Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You've freed me…'

"Umm you're welcome?" Jay replied, happily standing beside Katsu again.

The girl ghost smiled and pointed to the feather Jay was holding. 'You should keep that. I don't need it anymore. But be sure to return it for me to the Pokémon I borrowed it from!' She screamed much like a normal little girl, so full of life.

"… I'll keep that in mind." Jay said.

'Good bye, and once more… thank you… all of you…' The father said before holding his Daughter's hand. 'Come now sweetie, mommy is waiting for us…'

The two walked away, then they phased into the wall, never to be seen again.

"The house…" Lynette explained as she covered her eyes and tried to feel around her. "It feels… at peace."

Jay turned to everyone. "I am so sorry! This is all my fault! I didn't listen and—"

Katsu did his usual thing of hushing Jay by placing a finger on her mouth. "Jay… I don't care whose fault this is, I'm just so glad your safe." He said before pulling her into a hug.

"Aww!" Boone cooed before motioning with his hands. "I'm feeling the love! Come on everyone group hug!"

The rest of them shrugged and everyone but Lynette did a group hug.

Lynette raised her brow; something was off. She then remembered something a little earlier. She pointed to Boone and asked, "I thought you said you peed your pants?"

[Later]

Jay was reunited with Gen and the others. Drif was in near tears as he hugged his best friend and never let go off her.

"That…" Hugh complained as they finally got back to the center. "Was a horrible experience! … In more ways than one!"

"I'm taking a shower for the next three hours." Alice complained.

Goken raised his brow. "Sounds like you guys went through quite the ordeal."

Maikeru whined, "Ya think!? I'd like to meet someone even more unlucky than what we went through!"

[Meanwhile, in a parallel Dimension(?)…]

A young thirteen year old with short, light brown messy hair and amber eyes just sneezed… into his drink.

'Aww come on! I paid four bucks for this large soda!' The boy psychically complained.

'Strange,' A unique Patrat wielding a small but well-crafted wooden blade spoke to the boy. 'You usually are quite healthy. Are you ill?'

'Either that or I'm coming down with the flu, Takezo…' The boy mentally linked with his Pokémon.

'Anto,' the small Pokémon started. 'Knowing you, I would not be surprised if it was both.'

 **PG-13: OK! It's done! But now I Have one small extra!**

[Dream Sequence!]

Jay is sleeping right after, but she has the Lunar Wing in her person. Because of this, she gets a strange dream.

Cresselia: Hello.

Jay: Oh my gosh! Cresselia!

Cresselia: Yes. It is I. And may I welcome you to the dreamscape, a place where dreams can be shaped by one's mind.

Jay: (Looks around.) Wow! This place is so—… (Notices something in the distance.)

(There is some kind of church with a large amount of people. It looked like there's currently a wedding and Jay spots the two people getting married… is her and Katsu.)

Jay: W-WHAT!?

Cresselia: we are in a dreamscape, the deep manifestations of one's desires.

Dream Priest: And do you, Jayceyln Nalum, take Katsu Akio as your lawfully wedded husband?

Dream Jay: YES! YES! A thousand times yes!

Jay: (Flushed) NO! I mean—yes! I mean, stop appearing! (thankfully, the vision fades and Jay sighs in relief.)

(However, now the scene appears with both Jay and Katsu making out hard in a hotel room.)

Jay: KYAAAH!?

Dream Jay: Katsu… I…

Dream Katsu: Don't worry Jay… I know… (Starts undressing her.)

Jay: NONONONONONONO! (Flushes her face and buries her face into her hands.)

Creselia: Ahh, so that is how you humans reproduce.

Jay: I can explain!

(Dream Jay and Katsu start moaning loudly.)

Jay: NOOOOO! (Tries to hide her face, but is slowly a bit interested and peeks.)

Gen: (Whistles) Dang Jay, for a quiet girl, you can really scream…

Jay: Gen, what are you doing here!?

Gen: I saw something was weird in your dream, thought I'd use a non damaging version of Dream Eater. Found this. Did not regret anything in the slightest. (Summons a dream bench and Dream popcorn.) Dream Popcorn? They taste like cotton candy.

Jay: Get out of here!

Dream Jay: Katsu~!

Jay: (Falls to her knees and covers her face again.) KYAAH! Oh Arceus kill me!

Cresselia: Why are you so embarrassed?

Jay: Because all of this is private! I don't want to share these with anyone!

Cresselia: (Tilt's head) … But this is not your dream realm.

Jay and Gen: Huh?

Cresselia: The Lunar Wing allows you to sense the good dreams of others around you.

Jay: W-w-w-w-wait! I-i-i-if t-t-th-th-this isn't m-m-my Dr-d-dream…

Gen: OH ARCEUS! AHAHAHAHAHA!

Dream Katsu: Jay, you are so cute…

Dream Jay: Aaahhh~ Ka… Ka… Katsu…!

Gen: (Makes dream items disappear and laughs like crazy.) OOH! OOH JAY… WHOO! HA! SO EVEN HE THINKS OF YOU LIKE THAT!

Jay: (It's not just her face, but pretty much her entire body is red.) I-I-I-I-I…. (Faints.)

Gen: Huh, I didn't know she could faint in a dream realm.

Cresselia: Neither could I. Ahh well, I suppose I can teach her Dream Walking another time.

Gen: Coming again? After this one? Oh, please do!

Cresselia: Well make sure she is fine tomorrow alright? Fare thee well!

[End of extra]

 **PG-13: … I regret nothing.**

 **And there you have it everyone! The first few pages were done by me to tie things together. When I read this I noticed I needed to mention that Katsu, Alice and Jay...would be meeting up. I also included the conversation purely to have Katsu tell them about Cynthia. Anyway, how was it? Now for that special announcement. PG-13 and I will be writing a collaboration story. It will involve our characters in quite possibly the most twisted story yet. I hope you all are ready to laugh, because it will most likely happen a lot. We will let you know when it comes out so be on the lookout for it on one of our story lists! All credit, save for a few things go to PG-13! Also, that extra...I hope you all enjoyed this! Ciao for now.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Well folks, I am back. "Where'd you go Mango!? We've been waiting for more!" Well, you see…the thing is. My tablet decided it wanted to break. So guess what? All my updates will be via phone. Other than that, it feels good to be back! You know what also feels good? A new chapter! That's right! Get ready, because you are in for one heck of a ride! By the way, the idea for this chapter goes to PG-13! Along with another surprise. So sit back and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon! All of its characters and content are owned by GameFreak and Nintendo!**

 **Chapter 36: Lair Of Inferno**

Aboard the Plasma Frigate, stood Zinzolin, alongside Ghetsis. The leader of Team Plasma looked especially disgruntled. He looked out over the Unova region with a frustrated expression. As he was turning, one of the Shadow Triad appeared, causing a grin to form over Ghetsis's face.

"Has it been located?"

"Yes M'Lord Ghetsis, we have found it," one of the Triad spoke.

"Where is it then?"

"Reversal Mountain."

"Just as I thought. Launch an attack party immediately. We must not let it roam freely. It wouldn't do four our plans to be spoiled now would it?" Ghetsis commanded.

"As you wish, M'Lord." And with that, the Triad member faded away.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu stood outside of the Pokémon Center alongside Hugh. It was still early morning and the two had decided to get some training in. The others remained asleep. Katsu decided to borrow Zor since he needed to train the little guy. Zor seemed all too eager to start.

"Ready Katsu?" Hugh inquired, priming his ball.

"Always," Katsu replied with a smirk.

"Simisear, you're on!"

"Darumaka, let's do this!"

The fire monkey surged onto the battlefield and assumed a battle stance. When Darumaka rolled onto the field, Simisear dawned a puzzled expression. Darumaka was rolled into a ball and presumably asleep. Both eyes opened and Darumaka awoke, stretching a bit before turning to face his opponent. Unbeknownst to Hugh, this was Zor. The tricky fox began to dance around as Darumaka had done. Zor and Katsu had worked out a little routine to spice things up in battle. He was taught the mannerisms of all of Katsu's teammates which he could mimic flawlessly.

 _'Why would Katsu send out Darumaka? I know the little guy doesn't get much action, but this makes no sense. Oh well,'_ Hugh thought, "Simisear, use dig!"

Simisear dove underground quickly, leaving a large hole where he stood. Meanwhile, Katsu stood there unmoving. His senses were fixed on the vibrations beneath him. Zor kept up the Darumaka antics, making his façade more believable. Having pinpointed Simisear's location, Katsu began to act.

"Darumaka, dodge left and then use Swagger!" Katsu ordered, catching Hugh off guard.

Simisear burst from the ground with vicious intent, but was sidestepped by the unpredictable movements of Zor. The disguised fox grinned mischievously as he stared down Simisear. His eyes glowed as he danced, filling Simisear up with more power. This of course came at a price. Simisear was struggling to maintain control and began to pummel itself for a short time.

' _Great…now Simisear can't think straight. Katsu lured me right into that one,'_ Hugh thought as he assessed the situation. "Simisear, return!" Hugh called out, bringing back his confused comrade.

"You know Katsu, I've managed to do a bit of training while you were at your movie shoot. I even managed to catch a new friend. So allow me to introduce him!" Hugh grinned, snapping a new ball off his belt.

"Bouffalant, let's go!" Hugh called out, releasing his newest addition to his team.

The bovine stared down at his tiny adversary, stomping the ground in an intimidating manner. Zor glanced up at his new foe, wondering what to do at this point. He looked back at Katsu with a confused look. Katsu's expression hadn't changed in the slightest.

"Darumaka, return!" Katsu stated, recalling Zor to safety.

"A Bouffalant huh? Looks like he'll be tough to take down. But then again, I expect nothing less from you, Hugh," Katsu grinned, hitching Zor to his belt and snapping off Lucario's ball.

"But you'll have to up your game more if you want to win! Lucario, stand by!" Katsu commanded, releasing his newly evolved friend into the fray. This prompted a nervous reaction from Hugh.

 **X-X-X**

Jay was now rousing herself from her slumber. Her hair was a mess and it appeared as though she had trouble sleeping. But then again, anyone who found out that the man they have fallen in love with, and secretly desire in more ways than one, also has dreams like theirs is bound to lose a bit of sleep. Jay grumbled cutely as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning as well. Tini was curled up at the foot of the bed, her eyes opening at the sound of Jay yawning.

 _'Morning momma,'_ Tini greeted happily.

' _Morning sweetie.'_

' _Rest well momma?'_

Jay hesitated a little. After Cresselia's visit, she wasn't so certain about what to think. She had seen inside of Katsu's dreamscape. In all honesty, she was not prepared for that. What she heard kept her up for most of the night. Reading a romance novel before bed really didn't help her either. Oh the things she dreamt after that. She shook her head vigorously at those thoughts before turning back to Tini.

 _'Somewhat. It could have been better though,'_ Jay sighed, running a hand through her long brown locks.

 _'I see. Well…maybe tonight will be better?'_

 _'Maybe,'_ Jay smiled softly, sitting up to slide out of bed. Like usual, she stripped down and made her way towards the shower.

 **X-X-X**

Maikeru awoke to the sound of his X-Transceiver ringing. A groan escaped his lips as he rolled over and picked it up. He had a feeling he knew who it was.

"Speak…" he grumbled, waiting for the screen to pop up.

A man in a Team Plasma uniform popped up on the screen before him. He was obviously in a more private place due to the emptiness of the room behind him.

"Just woke up eh? Sorry 'bout that," the man stated with a chuckle.

"It's fine. What's up?" Maikeru muttered, half awake and partially irritated.

"I guess I should skip the pleasantries huh? Fair enough. Team Plasma is moving out. It seems like they are after something big," the man stated seriously.

"Really? And where are they moving to? Last I knew, they were at the docks outside the World Tournament," Maikeru replied.

"I heard them mention Reversal Mountain," the man stated with a smirk.

"Reversal Mountain…why does that place seem so…wait! Reversal Mountain!? That's…"

"Near you? Yes. And also home to Heatran…"

"But, why would they go into that place? It makes no sense. What do they intend to do?" Maikeru quizzed.

"Think about it Maikeru. Zinzolin mentioned it onboard the frigate. Think long and hard…"

Maikeru's eyes popped. Rood had mentioned something about a legendary with great destructive power. Several actually. And he had his suspicions that Ghetsis meant to seize control of that power for his own bidding. Could he be trying to do the same thing again? But what did Heatran have to do with anything? Those questions could wait for now. He had to get moving and bring the others up to speed.

"Thanks for the update, I will be certain to be there to meet them…"

"I hope so. Because from what I've heard, things are about to get nasty," the man stated firmly.

"I had a feeling. Anyway, I need to tell the others…when are they moving?"

"They've already been deployed…and so have _they,"_ the spy said in a hushed tone.

Maikeru didn't need to be told who _they_ were. He just knew it was bad news.

"I need to go," and with that, Maikeru shut off his device and hurriedly got dressed.

 **X-X-X**

Goken was in deep meditation that morning. His eyes were closed and he was seated across from his Riolu. He was running through a few instances where he'd seen Katsu manifest his aura. The times he sparred with his Riolu before it evolved into Lucario, as well as the Vacuum Wave from his sword. Aura seemed to flow naturally for Katsu. Goken was a polished martial artist, but still had a little trouble manifesting his own aura. But as of late, he was getting the hang of it. As he concentrated, he heard approaching footsteps. They were hurried ones at that.

"Goken!" A familiar voice called out, prompting Goken to open his eyes and turn around.

Judging by the way Maikeru looked, Goken could tell that he wasn't there just to say 'hi.'

"Something the matter?" Goken inquired with a serious expression.

"Yeah…we got trouble bud," Maikeru informed.

 **X-X-X**

Bouffalant stared down his adversary, Lucario, with defiance. Thus far, the powered up bovine had been evaded by the nimble movements of the bipedal canine. Bouffalant may have been boosted by Swords Dance, but all that power was useless if it never made contact. The afro buffalo was just not fast enough to catch up. He was strong enough to overpower the first few members of Katsu's team. Hugh had gotten better. However, he was against the ropes and had just the bovine to fight with. Katsu still had a few remaining members.

"Bouffalant, Head Charge!" Hugh ordered.

Bouffalant snorted and then rushed forward viciously. Katsu seemed un-phased by the signature attack, and simply waited for the right moment. Hugh was taking a huge gamble at the moment and was about to pay dearly for it. A smirk crossed Katsu's visage as the bovine was a few feet away.

' _Foul Play!'_ Katsu commanded via telepathy.

Lucario shrouded himself in a brilliant violet light, alarming Hugh. Then, faster than Hugh could register, Lucario shot forward and body checked Bouffalant with a powerful assault that sent him flying. Dust kicked up as the bovine landed hard on the ground. Hugh shielded his eyes to prevent dust from getting in them. When the dust finally settled, Hugh saw that Bouffalant was down for the count while Lucario stood tall. Hugh sighed as he returned his fallen comrade, hitching him to his belt before staring back at Katsu.

"Well played Katsu. I thought I had the advantage there. One thing still bugs me though," Hugh commented, pointing a finger at Lucario.

"What the heck was that last move!?" Hugh inquired in a demanding tone.

Katsu simply laughed and took another ball off his belt and released the inhabitant. Hugh did a double take as a Lucario popped out of the ball. As Hugh was about to ask where the other Lucario came from, the Lucario on the right of Katsu began to transform, and in a flash of dark energy, Zor took the place of the Lucario.

Hugh palmed his face as he saw this. Of course Katsu would do something like that.

"Okay…so let me get this straight. I was fighting Zor half the time wasn't I?" Hugh deduced.

Katshu nodded, chuckling slightly at his friend's grumbling. Most of the match had been him making in careful switches so that he could keep Hugh on his toes. This resulted in some pretty fun tactics. Katsu had a little too much fun in this match.

"Gotta hand it to you Katsu, that was a tough fight. I've seen some crazy stuff before, but that was nuts!" Hugh laughed.

"You've improved as well Hugh. Your Bouffalant is quite the contender. I had a tough time with it. He's tough," Katsu grinned.

"Are you boys done? Your battle woke me up," Alice grumbled as she walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Sorry about that," Katsu replied. "We just wanted to get a little training in before we get going."

"Well, you're both lucky my alarm would have gone off in five minutes," Alice muttered.

Alice was sporting a pair of jeans that hugged her legs securely. Her top was a spaghetti strap white top. She had on a pair of black steel-toe boots to go with the outfit. In essence, she didn't look as though she had just gotten out of bed. The door to the Pokémon Center opened to reveal Jay. Her attire consisted of a black tank top, with a white vest, coupled with a pair of jean shorts and her favorite designer boots. Seeing her, Zor hopped off Katsu's shoulder and scurried over to her, leaping into her arms.

"Well good morning!" She said cheerfully, "and how is my little Zor?" She asked with a giggle as Zor nuzzled her.

Katsu, by this time, was at her side as well. Seeing this, Jay leaned up and kissed his cheek softly.

"Morning Tsu," she smiled.

"Morning Jay," Katsu chuckled, returning her earlier gesture.

"I trust Zor had fun? He seems rather happy," Jay questioned, glancing down at the snickering fox.

"Oh he had fun alright," Katsu chuckled. "He did real well against Hugh. He even b-"

"Guys!" Came Maikeru's voice.

The others turned to see Goken and Maikeru heading their way. Something was up, and they all knew it. Maikeru slowed down as he reached the group, Goken following. Both of them looked anxious about something. Maikeru turned to Katsu.

"We have a problem," Maikeru began.

"Is it related to Team Plasma?" Hugh interjected.

A nod of confirmation from Maikeru was all that was needed.

"I got word from an informant this morning. They are heading towards Reversal Mountain as we speak. All I can say is that we need to get there before they do. If not? Well, I don't even want to think of what will happen," Maikeru sighed.

"We'd better get moving then," Alice inputted.

The group gave a nod of agreement. Katsu and Hugh looked at one another and then turned to the group.

"Before Hugh and I go, we need to heal our Pokémon," Katsu stated.

"Just go ahead of us, we'll catch up," Hugh added.

"You two sure?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Now let's get going, we're wasting time," Katsu replied firmly.

The others nodded, and Jay, though hesitant, went as well. Honestly she didn't want to go without Katsu. But if she wasn't there to help the group, then she wouldn't be doing her part. Jay made her way to Katsu, glancing nervously at him.

"Try to hurry…okay Tsu?" Jay requested.

"We will. Just keep them safe. Hugh and I will catch up soon," Katsu said as he pulled her in for a quick hug and a soft kiss.

Jay reluctantly pulled back as they broke apart and took his hand, giving it a squeeze before letting it go. She then turned around and joined the others while Katsu and Hugh went into the Pokémon Center to rejuvenate their teams.

 **X-X-X**

Within the confines of Reversal Mountain, a multitude of Team Plasma grunts were scouting around. Among them were four hooded individuals. The Duskbringers. The group seemed to be searching for something.

"I knew that it would be hot in here, but…this wasn't exactly what I was expecting," one of the muscular hooded ones began.

"This is but a taste of what you will feel. Should we reach Heatran's chamber, the heat intensity will increase dramatically," the young girl smirked.

"So the rumors must be true then," Darius stated with a contemplative expression.

"Yes. Heatran's flames can melt practically _anything._ That means our plans would go to waste should this thing decide to rampage," the girl replied.

"You think so, Midna?"

"Let me put it this way. Do you know what happens when an Entei roars? Think of that and you basically have a near equivalent to that. Only it's one volcano erupting instead of several," Midna pointed out.

"I see. In essence, should this thing be provoked to anger…"

"We could all die," Midna replied quickly.

"Sounds like fun. I imagine capturing it will be no easy task. The other was very destructive, but we managed to bring it under our control," Darius grinned.

"Right. And once we have Heatran locked away, there won't be anything hot enough to melt our icy wrath. All of Unova will bow to us," Midna grinned.

The group continued their search of the mountain, hoping to eventually find the lair of Heatran.

 **X-X-X**

Jay and the others had made it to the entrance of Reversal Mountain. The heat coming from within the depths of the mountain was intense. Jay took a deep breath before taking the first step inside. Alice followed, then Goken and Maikeru. As they looked around, they saw nothing but magma. There were a few pathways that led to various parts of the mountain, however, none knew where to begin. Goken stepped up, taking a look around as he tried to tap into his aura. Since Katsu wasn't there to do it, he figured he ought to.

As he concentrated, Maikeru's X-Transceiver buzzed. Knowing who it was, Maikeru picked up and looked at the message.

 _I'm with the group heading towards the deeper parts of the mountain. When you get in, take the first path to the right, after that it's the next left, and then another. Make sure you hurry, there's not much time!_ The message read, filling Maikeru with panic. They were already really far in.

Turning to the group, he darted ahead.

"Wait, Maikeru!" Alice called out.

"No time, I know where to go! Follow me!" He called back, continuing in the direction he was heading.

"But how do y-"

"He's right," Goken smirked, opening his eyes after his momentary meditation. "I can feel four strong auras in the direction he is headed. I am sure Jay feels them too," Goken stated, getting an affirmative nod from Jay.

"Indeed…they're definitely here," Jay replied, sweat-dropping at the presence she felt among them. Midna.

She remembered that fight all too well. She lost, and badly too. In all honesty, she hoped she would never see her again. But it appeared as though fate had other plans. She clenched her fists tightly and made her way forward, breaking into a sprint, Goken and Alice following. Jay did not want to fight her again. But if she had to, she would, and this time? She wouldn't lose. Her friends were counting on her. She was determined to rectify her mistakes from before. She had been able to get a little stronger but she wasn't sure if she would be able to stack up to Midna. But right now was not the time to doubt herself. Jay would give her all.

Maikeru skidded to a stop, looking at another pathway to the left. Without saying anything, he bolted down the path, the others catching up quickly.

 **X-X-X**

"Katsu, Hugh? Your Pokémon are ready," the nurse called from the front desk.

Katsu and Hugh stood up and walked over to the front desk, reclaiming their teams. Hitching their partners to their belts, the two thanked the nurse and exited the center.

"We need to make tracks. Reversal Mountain may take a while to get to," Hugh pointed out.

"Perhaps I can help?" A familiar, feminine voice replied, prompting Hugh to turn around.

There stood a young woman with oddly done up purple hair. Recognition flashed in Hugh's eyes as his met the Maroon colored hues of the young girl he met in Castelia City.

"It's you…" Hugh stated, prompting Katsu to raise a brow.

"You know her Hugh?" Katsu inquired, his sapphire gaze now fixed on the girl. She looked close to Jay's age, and wore a cream and pink top, blue jeans that hugged her curves and some pink shoes to match. A pink backpack was on her back.

"Yep. We met briefly in Castelia. It's been a long time since then huh?" The young girl smiled, her attention turning to Katsu.

"Of course…I know all about _you,_ Katsu Aiko. World Champion, and movie star as well as one heck of a trainer. Judging by what I saw…you are pretty good. I wonder how much more you will grow," the girl grinned.

"And from the looks of things…you're no slouch yourself," Katsu smirked, having observed the way she composed herself. That air of confidence she gave off was quite impressive.

"Perceptive. Now, it looks like you two need a lift," the girl smirked, tossing two Pokéballs into the air.

The first Pokémon to appear was an orange, very friendly looking dragon. Though it seemed to have a pleasant look about it, Katsu was not fooled. The massive amount of aura radiating from it was incredible. The Dragonite glanced down at the new people before him. The second was yet another dragon, only this one was on all fours and had a blue body with crimson wings. It was unmistakably a Salamence.

"Heh…looks like I have to thank you again. First Castelia, now this," Hugh laughed as he watched the girl hop onto her Dragonite.

"So that's how you found out about Team Plasma? It all makes sense now," Katsu chuckled, glancing over at Salamence who seemed to be inviting him to ride.

Salamence lowered her head for Katsu, gaining an amused reaction from the girl.

"Huh. Usually she's a bit more picky than that. I guess the rumors about you are true after all," she mused, motioning for Hugh to join her.

"If by that you mean he's lucky as hell, then yes, the rumors are true," Hugh smirked, hopping aboard Dragonite with the girl.

"So…Reversal Mountain huh? Judging by what you two discussed in there, I guess it must be pretty darn important to be going to a place like that," the girl grinned, lightly tapping Dragonite's side for him to lift off.

Katsu observed this, and did the same, lifting off as well on Salamence.

"Yeah…Team Plasma has something wicked up their sleeve. But for the life of me, I don't understand why they would go into Reversal Mountain. It's pretty strange if you ask me," Hugh sighed.

"Well…there isn't much in Reversal Mountain, save for a lot of magma…Pokémon, and a…" she cut herself off.

"A what? What?" Hugh inquired.

"Dragonite, get moving now!" She ordered, causing the stout dragon to burst forth with surprising speed, Salamence following behind as she kept up with Dragonite.

 **X-X-X**

"Looks like this is it," Midna grinned, spotting a rather large cave that seemed different than the rest.

"Are you certain, Midna?" Darius inquired, only to reconsider his question, "never mind…I sense it now," he grinned.

"Indeed. And just feel that heat. We are barely near it and already I can feel a dramatic difference in temperature. Perfect," Midna grinned deviously.

"Alright men, ready your capture devices. Once we go in, there is no turning back. Got it?" Darius informed.

Just as they were about to step into the lair of Heatran, they were met with a strong psychic barrier. The grunts who ran into it were flung back from contact. The Duskbringers, however, felt the presence of the obstruction before their team moved. They remained still before turning around to greet their adversaries. Jay was standing in front of her friends, eyes aglow with violet energy.

"I had a feeling we would be meeting again. But," Midna paused, looking around. "Where is Katsu?" Midna inquired.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my Tsu isn't here at the moment. So you'll be dealing with me," Jay stated with a neutral expression.

"So that's what you call your man huh? Already with the pet names hmm?" Midna smirked.

"Katsu is _mine_ and I will call him whatever I please," Jay retorted.

' _Jay seems really fired up. This is the same persona she put on against me,"_ Alice thought as she observed Jay's change.

"Well, someone sounds confident. However, you do remember what happened the last time we met, right?" Midna smirked.

Jay remembered all too well. She had barely escaped with her life. She was a little stronger now, but that could only get her so far.

"I guess we have no choice but to battle you four. Men? Why don't you get to it?" Midna ordered.

Jay and the others needed no prompting. Soon, the inside of the mountain became a battleground.

 **X-X-X**

Katsu, Hugh and the young girl made it to Reversal Mountain quite quickly and soon dismounted, heading into the mountain. The girl recalled her two Pokémon and proceeded to follow the two boys. Katsu stopped in his tracks as he felt a strong presence deep within the mountain. Concentrating, he looked in the direction of where the aura was coming from and immediately knew where to go.

"Let's go," Katsu said as he took off.

"Right behind you Katsu," Hugh replied as he darted after him, the girl close behind.

 **X-X-X**

Jay and Midna were once again locked in a combat of psychic force. Jay was faring a bit better this time, managing to hold her at bay for much longer. Midna, of course was still stronger, and it showed due to Jay having to exhert more force to keep up her defenses and counter her. All the while, she was holding up the barrier, which probably wasn't the best move.

Goken's Pokémon were engaged in combat with one of the twin fighters companions while he fought hand to hand with the trainer. Maikeru also had his hands full. Alice was also doing her best to fend off the numbers stacked against them. Meanwhile, it was clear that Jay was losing focus. While Gen, Dusk and Drif defended her, she was almost spent. All she knew was that she couldn't let them through that barrier. No way, no how. Midna seemed to sense her wavering control and decided to capitalize on it by upping the amount of force she used. Jay struggled as she felt an intense pressure on her body. She was starting to lose it.

"Getting tired?" Midna taunted, a devious grin on her features as she kept her focus.

Jay dug in, still not willing to budge. Her powers were weakening, and she was becoming weary. Taking advantage of this, Midna channeled a bit of her psychic force into a pool of magma near Jay, causing it to rise like a wave before plunging towards Jay. Just before it hit, Jay was yanked aside very quickly, and because of that, the magma hit the ground where she stood, melting the place on which she previously stood. Jay blinked as she found herself in a pair of strong arms. A pair that she knew all too well.

"So he came after all. I was wondering when you'd show your face, Katsu," Midna cooed.

Katsu set Jay down, dusting her off a bit before turning to face Midna and the others. Team Plasma froze in place along with Alice, Goken and Maikeru. Not only were they happy to see Katsu, but Team Plasma was a bit scared of who else had joined the fray.

' _Crap…what's she doing here?'_ Midna thought rather nervously as she laid eyes on the girl with Hugh and Katsu.

Midna and the other members of the Duskbringers were not too fond of seeing the Champion of Unova. Katsu and his crew were a big enough problem.

' _We don't have time for this,'_ Midna thought as she concentrated on the barrier before her. With a little will power, she shattered Jay's barrier and the four Duskbringers rushed inside, their comrades taking that as a sign to retreat. They weren't getting very far anyway. As they were running, Katsu shot off after them, only to be faced with an Air Slash from Darius, which he deflected with a Vacuum Wave. This was just a diversion for Midna to raise a wall of magma with her telekinetic power. Katsu reacted by grabbing hold of Darumaka's ball, releasing the only one in his arsenal that thrived in such heated conditions.

"Quick, use Flame Charge!"

Darumaka complied immediately, shrouding himself in blazing hit flames. Katsu watched as Darumaka rushed headlong into the Magma, creating a very loud, BANG! Magma was deflected in dozens of directions, however, due to Gengar's psychic abilities, none of it hurt anyone.

"I fail to see the point of that, Katsu," Midna called out from behind a barrier of her own.

"What if I told you that you're wrong?" Katsu grinned, gaining a raised brow from Midna as he turned his attention to the smoke around him. Stepping forth from it was a rather hulking, red, ape-like figure. It had black ringed, yellow eyes and outrageously bushy, flaming eyebrows fixed in a perpetually angry expression with a sinister smile to boot. He was squatting, bracing himself on his massive arms and powerful hind legs.

"A Darmanitan? So that's what you were after! Bravo then. But it's still pointless. Now if you'll excuse us, we have a Legendary to secure," Midna giggled.

"Yeah…that's where you're also wrong," Katsu smirked, watching as Darmanitan began to change. "You see…there was another reason I had him jump in the magma. Watch and learn," Katsu grinned as Darmanitan transformed.

Darmanitan's limbs fused with his body and his face and body became like that of a blue Daruma doll. This, was Zen Mode. This was one of two forms Darmanitan possessed, with the right ability of course. He was weakened a bit from the blast which triggered the evolution and transformation.

 _'Wow…looks like the rumors of his luck are still holding up. A Darmanitan with Zen Mode is not easy to obtain,'_ the purple haired lass thought as she watched Katsu get to work.

"Psychic," Katsu ordered.

Darmanitan didn't budge, however, the rings on his stomach lit up in a violet glow, as did his eyes. Suddenly, the barrier shattered. Midna stood there, unfazed by the new development.

"As expected, you are as good as ever," Midna clapped. Darius made his way up beside Midna and turned to speak with her.

"It appears as though Heatran is not here," Darius muttered.

"Huh? Are you certain? I was sure that it was this chamber," Midna stated, turning her gaze to meet their opposition.

"It would appear that what we seek eludes us…" Midna stated with a devious grin.

All the while she talked, the room seemed to steadily increase in temperature until it was to a nearly unbearable state. Suddenly, the cave began to shake and the magma within the chamber began to bubble. A pillar of fire burst forth, and magma erupted from the scalding hot pools to reveal the legendary itself. Heatran looked to be a cross between an armored red turtle and a ram. It gave a deafening roar as it spotted intruders in its lair.

"Well…it's about time it appeared," Midna grinned, staring up at Heatran. The Legendary had scurried up the wall to the roof of the cave and was staring back down with malice.

"Ready the capture nets!" Darius ordered.

"That's not a good idea!" Maikeru shouted.

"Of course it is," Midna cut in. "Without Heatran in our way, nothing will be able to melt the cold that will be brought upon all of Unova. All will bow to our leader," Midna grinned.

"That's not going to work. Provoking Heatran is practically suicide!" Maikeru tried to reason.

Katsu stood beside his friends, keeping Darmanitan out for the battle that was bound to continue. Team Plasma readied their net launchers which had special heat resistant, strong nets that could restrain nearly anything. However, due to the intense heat, hardly any of Team Plasma could concentrate. They were sweating like Pignites and were becoming fatigued. All the while, intense fllames gathered within Heatran's mouth. This caused a dramatic temperature spike which caused great alarm.

"We can't stop that," Midna mumbled, snapping her fingers to beckon the Shadow Triad who were in hiding. The moment they appeared, all of Team Plasma vanished, just as Heatran unleashed Magma Storm where they stood. The blast caused a powerful explosion, caving the roof in and shutting in Katsu and the others. When the smoke cleared, Darmanitan was seen holding up a psychic barrier, protecting him and his trainer's friends.

"Well…that certainly wasn't what I expected," Katsu began.

"Yeah…this has to be the worst case scenario," Hugh stated, his eyes locking on Heatran, who was now staring them down.

 **X-X-X**

Team Plasma soon found themselves outside. Midna grumbled to herself as she looked back at Reversal Mountain.

"It appears that Ghetsis greatly underestimated Heatran's power. Oh well…now those seven are at its mercy," Midna grinned.

"I take it that was your backup plan?" Darius chuckled, turning to face the mountain.

"Yes. And with them trapped inside, Heatran can have a field day while we help Ghetsis take over," Midna laughed.

"You always were a twisted one, Midna," Darius pointed out.

"Why thank you, I pride myself in that," Midna grinned as she bowed.

 **X-X-X**

Meanwhile, Katsu and the others were having a hard time with the walking furnace that was Heatran. Darmanitan could only hold the barrier up for so long. The girl who arrived with them wasn't going to stand by of course. Her Dragonite was out and battling Heatran. The mighty dragon rammed it's lightning coated fist into the beast, sending it crashing into the cave wall. In a rage, Heatran opened his mouth and let loose a stream of white energy, a Flash Cannon, towards Dragonite who responded by evading and rushing in for another assault.

Katsu couldn't help but watch as Dragonite went toe to toe with a Legendary. Then again, Dragonite was powerful in his own right. As the battle raged on, Katsu returned to the matter at hand. The wall of rocks blocking their exit. On top of that was the overwhelming heat issue they were dealing with. Katsu and the others were sweating bullets. And poor Jay was dead tired. Glancing over at Goken, he motioned for him to come near.

"Hey…still got Monferno?" Katsu questioned.

Goken nodded in understanding. The Fire/Fighting-type would help tremendously in this situation. Having retrieved him prior to their arrival in Lentimas Town, Goken had trained him quite a bit. In fact, it had gotten a lot stronger.

Goken smirked as he snapped off the ball from his belt and released not Monferno, but Infernape. Perfect.

"Awesome…it evolved. This us better than I hoped for. Now, we need to get out of here, so let's get to work while Heatran's distracted," Katsu stated, getting a nod from Goken. Katsu released Lucario from his ball to stand by Infernape.

The two Fighting-types awaited orders from their trainers.

' _Force Palm!'_

"Mach Punch!"

The commands were given and their Pokémon sprung into action. A bright white glow surrounded Infernape's fist as he launched at the rocks, easily shattering his lot with an extremely fast jab. Lucario demolished his portion with a well placed, aura enhanced, Force Palm. Quickly, Katsu returned Lucario so as not to expose him to the extreme heat for too much longer. Goken returned his Infernape and turned to the group.

"Quick, while it's distracted, let's go!" Goken called out.

Taking the hint, Alice, Hugh, and Maikeru began to run out of the chambers of Heatran. Katsu made his way to Jay and picked her up onto his back, supporting her steadily before returning Darmanitan and breaking into a run. Goken follwed of course. The Unova Champion saw tbis and decided that she too ought to make a break for it.

"Dragonite, come to me now!"

The bulky dragon darted towards his trainer who vaulted onto him.

"Now Hyper Beam!"

Dragonite reared his head back and lurched forwards, launching a devastating blast from his throat. Heatran launched a Flash Cannon that connected with and cancelled out the beam, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke. Using the makeshift smokescreen, the two sped away quickly, leaving Heatran in the dust.

 **X-X-X**

None of them even so much as looked back as they rounded corner after corner until they finally were out. They were all sweaty, and a mess and in desperate need of showers.

"Well…that went well," Katsu stayed, gently lowering Jay so she could sit for a while.

"At least they didn't get ahold of that thing. By Arceus that was nuts," Alice inputted.

"No kidding, Dragonite was having one heck of a time with it," the girl sighed, wiping her brow of sweat.

"All I know is this…we are all alive. But unfortunately, Team Plasma got away," Hugh stated.

"Not to mention they trapped us in there with Heatran. They really were trying to eliminate us," Goken grunted.

"Let's just be glad we all got out of there alive. We owe it to…sorry, I don't believe I ever got your name," Katsu chuckled, plopping down next to Jay to pull her in close.

"My name, is Iris," she said with a faint smile.

"Iris…nice to meet you. And thanks for helping us out back there," Katsu replied.

"Not a problem you all. Anytime," Iris grinned.

Katsu looked down at Jay who clung to him tiredly. A faint smile broke out over his face as he scooped her up and glanced back at Iris.

"Mind if Jay and I ride Salamence back? Jay here is exhausted," Katsu stated.

Iris smiled softly and released the blue, red-winged dragon from his home. Katsu nodded in thanks and looked down at Jay who smiled tiredly up at him.

"Ready to go?" Katsu asked with a smile.

"Yes. I'm tired…hungry, and I want cuddles. So let's move," Jay mumbled cutely.

"Thanks again Iris, you've been a huge help," Katsu smiled, lifting off as he spoke.

"No problem Katsu. Anytime," Iris laughed.

And with that, Katsu and Jay were off. The rest eventually caught up with them and commenced some much needed rest and relaxation. They were beat.

 **And there you have it! A little action from the Duskbringers, only it was short-lived due to Heatran having anger issues. Oh, and notice, nobody had the Magma Stone. Hence why Heatran was so irate. Oh well, at least Team Plasma's plans were foiled. Oh, and Iris did some stuff too. Also, also. Darmanitan! That is all. Until next time, Mango out!**


End file.
